Physica C 310 Ž1998.

30–35

Finite element analysis of AC loss in non-twisted Bi-2223 tape

carrying AC transport current andror exposed to DC or AC
external magnetic field
a,)
Naoyuki Amemiya , Kengo Miyamoto a , Shun-ichi Murasawa a , Hideki Mukai b,
Kazuya Ohmatsu b
a
DiÕision of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Yokohama National UniÕersity, 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya, Yokohama, 240-8501,
Japan
b
Sumitomo Electric Industries, 1-1-3 Shimaya, Konohana, Osaka, 554-0024, Japan

Abstract

AC losses in Bi-2223 superconducting tapes carrying AC transport current andror exposed to DC or AC magnetic field
are calculated with a numerical model based on the finite element method. Superconducting property is given by the E–J
characteristic represented by a power law using equivalent conductivity. First, transport loss and magnetization loss are
calculated numerically and compared with measured values. The calculated losses almost agree with the measured losses.
Frequency dependencies of calculated and measured transport losses are compared with each other. Next, the influence of
DC external magnetic field on the transport loss is studied. DC external magnetic field reduces n that is an exponent in the
power law connecting resistivity and current density. The numerically calculated transport loss increases with increasing DC
magnetic field. Finally, the total loss of superconducting tape carrying AC transport current in AC magnetic field is
calculated. In the perpendicular magnetic field, the calculated total loss is lager than the sum of the transport loss and the
magnetization loss, while they almost agree with each other in the parallel magnetic field. q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All
rights reserved.

Keywords: Numerical analysis; Transport loss; Finite element method; Flux penetration

1. Introduction development of superconductors and their applica-

In practical electrical power apparatuses used at
commercial frequencies, high Tc superconductors
carry AC transport current in AC external magnetic
field. Therefore, quantitative evaluation of their AC
loss is one of the key issues in the research and
)
Corresponding author. Tel.: q81-45-339-4119; Fax: q81-45-
338-1157; E-mail: ame@rain.dnj.ynu.ac.jp
tions. Although experimental techniques for the
transport loss measurement and the magnetization
loss measurement are almost established w1,2x, no
reliable and accurate technique to measure the total
loss of superconductors carrying AC transport cur-
rent in AC external magnetic field has been devel-
oped yet.
The authors have been developing a series of
numerical codes for the electromagnetic analysis of
superconductors based on the finite element method.

0921-4534r98r$ - see front matter q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 9 2 1 - 4 5 3 4 Ž 9 8 . 0 0 4 2 8 - 6
 N. Amemiya et al.r Physica C 310 (1998) 30–35
Their purpose is numerical estimations of AC losses
substituting for AC loss measurements.
The main objective of this paper is to describe the
FEM analysis of AC losses in a non-twisted silver-
sheathed Bi-2223 superconducting tape carrying AC
transport current andror exposed to DC or AC mag-
netic field. Numerically calculated AC losses are
compared with experimental results. In the numerical
analysis, electric field Ž E . –current density Ž j . char-
acteristics of superconductor are given with a power
law. The magnetic field dependence of E–J charac-
teristics is also taken into account. First, the transport
loss is calculated, and is compared with the mea-
sured value. Its frequency dependency is also dis-
cussed. Next, the calculated and measured magneti-
zation losses are compared with each other. Then,
the influence of DC magnetic field on the transport
loss is presented. Finally, the total loss in Bi-2223
tape carrying AC transport current in AC external
magnetic field is calculated, and compared with the
sum of the transport loss and magnetization loss.
2. Numerical method
The numerical model is formulated with current
vector potential T and magnetic scalar potential V
by the finite element method. They are given as,
J'==T , Ž 1.
H s H0 q T y =V Ž 2.
where H0 is the external magnetic field. Supercon-
ducting property is given by a power law,
n
J simultaneously to cross check the measured values.
E s Ec
ž /Jc
Ž 3.
where Jc is a critical current density and Ec s 1 =
10y4 Vrm. Then, an equivalent conductivity of
superconductor ssc is derived as,
J Jcn
lyn
ssc s s Ž==T . . Ž 4.
E Ec
Elements in the filamentary region are treated as a
mixture of superconductor and silver matrix whose
equivalent conductivity is given as,
s s lfr ssc q Ž 1 y lfr . sAg Ž 5.
31
where l fr and sAg are the fraction of superconductor
in the filamentary region and the conductivity of the
silver matrix, respectively. Then, Faraday’s law and
modified magnetic Gauss’s law are written as,
1 E
== ž s /
= = T s ym
Et
Ž H0 q T y =V . , Ž 6.
E
==m Ž H0 q T y =V . s 0. Ž 7.
Et
These equations are discretized to obtain the system
matrix equations to calculate the distribution of T
and V . The details of the numerical method are
shown in Ref. w3x.
3. Experimental method
Transport loss of the superconducting tape is mea-
sured by a standard voltage tap method w1x. The
voltage taps are attached to the edge of the tape, and
the distance between the lead wires and the edge is
20 mm. Magnetization loss of the superconducting
tape is measured by a modified saddle type pick up
coil. Magnetic field up to 120 mT is produced by a
racetrack coil without iron core wound with copper
wire. The coil is cooled in liquid nitrogen with
sample superconducting tapes. The length of the
sample, the magnet bore, and the saddle coil are 210
mm, 140 mm, and 50 mm, respectively. Both in the
transport loss measurement and magnetization loss
measurement, a lock-in amplifier technique w1x and
direct waveform integration technique w2x are used
E–J curve derived from the transport voltage–cur-
rent curve is fitted between E s 10y5 –10y4 Vrm
to Eq. Ž3. to determine Jc and n.
Four sample pieces are tested in the experiments.
Samples No. 1, and No. 2 are the samples for the
transport loss and magnetization loss measurements,
respectively. Their Jc and n are measured at the
same time as the loss measurements with the race-
track coil without iron core. Jc and n of samples No.
3 and No. 4 are measured in a broader range of the
magnetic field that is parallel and perpendicular to
the tape wide face, respectively, that are produced by
another coil with iron core. These data are used in
32 N. Amemiya et al.r Physica C 310 (1998) 30–35

4.2. Calculated and measured transport losses

Transport loss is calculated and measured with

Fig. 1. Magnetic field dependency of critical current density and n
value.
numerical calculations of AC losses in superconduct-
ing tapes carrying AC transport current in external
magnetic field ŽFig. 1..
4. Numerical and experimental results
4.1. Specifications of sample superconducting tapes
and their Jc and n
Specifications of a silver sheathed Bi-2223 super-
conducting tape tested in this study are listed in
Table 1. Temperature is 77 K. Jc and n of sample
No. 1 at self magnetic field condition are 2.03 = 10 8
Arm2 and 19.0, respectively. Jc and n of samples
No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 are plotted against the
magnitude of the magnetic field. These values are
used in the following numerical calculations.
sample No. 1. In Fig. 2, the numerically calculated
and measured transport losses are plotted against the
transport current divided by the critical current, ItrIc ,
when frequency, f, is 60 Hz. The analytical value for
an elliptical superconductor based on the Bean’s
critical state model w4x is also plotted in this figure.
The numerical and measured values almost agree
with each other.
In Fig. 3, the calculated and measured transport
losses are plotted against frequency, when ItrIc s
0.5. The transport loss per cycle decreases with
increasing frequency. Such frequency dependency
cannot be explained by the Bean’s critical state
model. Since the equivalent conductivity of super-
conductors is finite due to their small n, the current
density at the peripheral increases with increasing
frequency, so as a skin effect, and this decreases in
the loss per cycle.
4.3. Calculated and measured magnetization losses
in parallel magnetic field
Magnetization loss is calculated and measured
with sample No. 2 in the AC magnetic field parallel
to the tape wide face at f s 60 Hz. Numerical calcu-
lations are made with Jc and n measured at the DC
magnetic field that agrees with the root mean square

Table 1
Specifications of superconducting tape
Size 3.5 mm=0.25 mm
Type of superconductor Bi-2223
Number of filament 61
Matrix Žconductivity. Silver Ž3.33=10 8 Srm.
Cross-section of superconductor 0.22=10y6 m2
Fraction of superconductor 0.415
in filamentary region
Critical current at 0 T, 77 K ; 2=10 8 Arm2
Fig. 2. Calculated and measured transport losses vs. It r Ic .
 N. Amemiya et al.r Physica C 310 (1998) 30–35 33

agrees well with the measured losses, especially in a

fully penetrated high magnetic field region. There,
the Bean’s critical state model applied to the super-
conducting slab overestimates the magnetization loss.

4.4. Calculated transport loss in tape carrying AC

transport current in DC magnetic field

The transport loss in the superconducting tape

carrying AC transport current in the parallel and
perpendicular DC magnetic fields is calculated with
samples No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. In Fig. 5, the
transport losses per unit length of the samples nor-

Fig. 3. Frequency dependence of calculated and measured trans-

port losses.

of the applied AC magnetic field. In Fig. 4, the

numerically calculated and measured magnetization
losses are plotted against the amplitude of the exter-
nal magnetic field, Bm , together with the analytical
value given by the Bean’s critical state model for a
slab of superconductor. In the analytical model, the
thickness of the slab is assumed to be 0.195 mm that
equals the estimated thickness of the filamentary
region, and its critical current density is assumed to
equal the average critical current density in the fila-
mentary region. The numerically calculated loss

Fig. 5. Influence of DC external magnetic field on transport loss;

Fig. 4. Calculated and measured magnetization losses vs. Bm Ža. in parallel DC magnetic field and Žb. in perpendicular DC
where external magnetic field is parallel to tape wide face. magnetic field.
34 N. Amemiya et al.r Physica C 310 (1998) 30–35

malized by the square of their critical current are

plotted against ItrIc for various DC external mag-
netic field where f s 50 Hz. The transport loss of
elliptical superconductor based on the Bean’s critical
state model is also plotted w4x. The normalized trans-
port loss increases with increasing external magnetic
field. The application of the perpendicular magnetic
field of Bm s 200 mT results in the 60% increase of
the normalized transport loss, when ItrIc s 0.5. The
DC external magnetic field decreases the critical
current density and the n of superconductor, but it
does not change the shape of the current distribution
in the tape. The decrease in the critical current
density does not change the loss normalized by the
square of Ic . The decrease in n should decrease the
normalized transport loss. The calculated current
profiles show that the maximum current density de-
creases with increasing applied magnetic field, that is
decreasing n. This should cause the increase in the
normalized transport loss.
4.5. Calculated total loss in superconducting tape
carrying AC transport current in AC magnetic field
The total loss in the superconducting tape carry-
ing AC transport current in the parallel or perpendic-
ular AC magnetic field is calculated with samples
No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. In this analysis, the
equivalent conductivities are changing temporally
with temporally changing external magnetic field
following to the magnetic field dependencies of Jc
and n shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 6Ža. and Žb., the total
losses in the parallel and perpendicular magnetic
Fig. 6. Total AC loss in superconducting tape carrying AC
fields are plotted against Bm , respectively, where transport current in AC external magnetic field; Ža. in parallel
f s 50 Hz. The sum of the numerically calculated magnetic field and Žb. in perpendicular magnetic field.
transport loss and magnetization loss is also shown
for ItrIc s 0.5. In the parallel magnetic field, this thresholds in the parallel and perpendicular magnetic
sum almost agrees with the total loss calculated fields are 100 mT and 50 mT, respectively.
numerically. However, in the perpendicular magnetic
field, this sum underestimates the loss in a small Bm
region. For example, when ItrIc s 0.5 and Bm s 5 5. Conclusion
mT, the calculated total loss and the simple sum are
229 Jrm3rcycle and 130 Jrm3rcycle, respectively. Transport loss, magnetization loss, and the total
In the high magnetic field region, the external mag- loss in Bi-2223 tape carrying AC transport current in
netic field dominates the total loss, and the transport AC magnetic field were calculated numerically, and
current does not substantially influence the total loss. some of them were compared with experimental
The threshold over which the total loss is dominated results. The calculated and measured transport losses
by the external magnetic field should be determined almost agree with each other. The calculated and
by the tape size. For the 3.5 mm = 0.25 mm tape, the measured magnetization losses agree with each other
 N. Amemiya et al.r Physica C 310 (1998) 30–35
well. The application of the DC magnetic field,
especially the perpendicular magnetic field, de-
creases in n and increases in the transport loss. In
the parallel magnetic field, the total loss in Bi-2223
tape carrying AC transport current in AC magnetic
field almost agrees with the sum of the transport loss
and the magnetization loss. In the perpendicular
magnetic field, the total loss is much larger than this
sum. However, in a high field region, the total loss is
dominated by the external magnetic field.
35
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