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Supercond. Sci. Technol. 23 (2010) 045026 (6pp) doi:10.1088/0953-2048/23/4/045026

AC losses in monofilamentary MgB2 round

wire carrying alternating transport
currents
K Kajikawa1 , T Kawano2 , R Osaka3 , T Nakamura4, M Sugano5 ,
M Takahashi6 and T Wakuda6
1
Research Institute of Superconductor Science and Systems, Kyushu University,
Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
2
Department of Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering, Kyushu University,
Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
3
Department of Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
4
Department of Electrical Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
5
Department of Electronic Science and Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510,
Japan
6
Hitachi Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd, Hitachi 319-1292, Japan

E-mail: kajikawa@sc.kyushu-u.ac.jp

Received 18 December 2009, in final form 12 February 2010

Published 19 March 2010
Online at stacks.iop.org/SUST/23/045026

Abstract
AC losses in a monofilamentary MgB2 round wire with niobium and copper metal sheaths and
carrying alternating transport currents are evaluated at several temperatures and frequencies.
First, the transport current losses are observed electrically using a lock-in amplifier.
Experimental results show that the AC losses decrease with an increase in the temperature if the
amplitude of the transport current normalized by the corresponding critical current is
maintained constant. On the other hand, the AC losses increase slightly with the frequency.
Next, the AC losses are calculated numerically by a finite difference method. The numerical
results for the superconductor filament show a good agreement with the results of the
conventional theoretical expression formulated using the Bean model over a wide range of
current amplitudes. It is also found that the AC losses in the niobium sheath are negligible
whereas those in the copper sheath are comparable with those in the superconductor. On the
basis of the numerical calculations, an expression is analytically derived for estimating the eddy
current loss occurring in a metal sheath. The derived expression well reproduces the AC loss
properties of both the copper and niobium sheaths.

1. Introduction circulation or transfer of liquid hydrogen [3]. Because the

In the beginning of the 21st century, a new metallic
superconductor, namely magnesium diboride (MgB2 ), with a
critical temperature of 39 K, was discovered [1]. Although
many MgB2 superconducting wires with metal sheaths have
been fabricated thus far, the critical current densities of the
present MgB2 wires at 20 K, i.e. near the boiling temperature of
liquid hydrogen at atmospheric pressure, decrease drastically
in an external magnetic field of a few tesla [2]. This implies
that the present MgB2 wires would be suitable for applications
in low magnetic fields at 20 K. As one of the low-field
applications of MgB2 wires, a fully superconducting motor
has been proposed to drive an electric pump used for the
MgB2 superconducting windings for the rotor and stator in the
motor are placed inside iron cores, the windings are scarcely
exposed to the external magnetic field and, therefore, self-fields
generated by the currents flowing in the windings themselves
become dominant. Three-phase alternating currents are
supplied to the stator winding in the proposed motor to
generate a rotating magnetic field. Therefore, a detailed
understanding of the AC loss properties of MgB2 windings is
one of the key factors to realize a cryogenic superconducting
pump.
The AC losses of various types of MgB2 wires have
been evaluated thus far [4–7]. Nakagiri et al [4] studied the

0953-2048/10/045026+06$30.00 1 © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd Printed in the UK & the USA
Supercond. Sci. Technol. 23 (2010) 045026
Table 1. Specifications of MgB2 sample wire.
Parameter Value
Structure MgB2 /Nb/Cu
Number of filaments 1
Diameter of wire, 2 R3 0.8 mm
Diameter of filament, 2 R1 0.555 mm
Outer diameter of Nb, 2 R2 0.685 mm
Critical temperature, Tc 36 K
Critical currents (and n -values) in self-field 192 A (116) at 26.4 K
101 A (69) at 30.3 K
Resistivity of Nb [10] 0.61 μ cm at 26.4 K
0.70 μ cm at 30.3 K
Resistivity of Cu 0.01 μ cm at 26.4 K
0.015 μ cm at 30.3 K
effects of current amplitude, frequency, and temperature on
the transport current losses of MgB2 monofilamentary tapes
with a cupronickel or stainless steel sheath, and they explained
the obtained experimental results with a numerical calculation
based on the Bean model [8, 9] and the concentric distribution
of critical current densities in the superconductor filament.
Young et al [5] experimentally evaluated the AC losses of
MgB2 multifilamentary tapes with a ferromagnetic sheath in
applied and self-magnetic fields at different temperatures and
frequencies. Hong et al [6] numerically evaluated the transport
current losses of monocore and multifilamentary MgB2 wires
with a round cross-section by means of a finite element method
under the assumption that the sheath materials did not affect
the total AC losses at all and could be replaced by air. Majoros
et al [7] measured the transport current and applied magnetic
field losses of an MgB2 multifilamentary strand with non-
magnetic sheath materials and found that the applied field
losses at high frequencies were dominated by eddy currents
in a copper matrix. However, the influence of eddy currents in
low-resistivity sheath materials such as copper on the transport
current losses of MgB2 wires has not been investigated.
In this study, the AC losses in an MgB2 wire
carrying alternating transport currents are evaluated at several
temperatures and frequencies. First, the transport current
losses are experimentally observed using a lock-in amplifier
along with preliminary evaluation of the wire properties. Next,
numerical calculations are carried out by a finite difference
method to understand the experimental results of the AC loss
properties in detail. An analytical expression for the eddy
current loss in the outer metal sheath is also proposed to
reproduce the obtained experimental and numerical results of
the AC losses.
2. AC loss measurements of sample wire
The specifications of an MgB2 sample wire are listed in
table 1. The monocored MgB2 superconductor is surrounded
by niobium and copper sheaths. The diameters of the
superconducting wire and its filament, 2 R3 and 2 R1 , are
0.8 mm and 0.555 mm, respectively, and the outer diameter
of niobium, 2 R2 , is 0.685 mm. Figure 1 shows the temperature
dependence of the resistivity of the MgB2 sample wire. The
critical temperature Tc is estimated as 36 K. The resistivities
2
K Kajikawa et al
Figure 1. Temperature dependence of resistivity of MgB2 sample
wire.
of niobium are 0.61 μ cm and 0.70 μ cm at temperatures
of 26.4 K and 30.3 K [10], respectively, at which the AC loss
measurements were carried out. If the normal resistivity of the
MgB2 superconductor is much larger than that of the sheath
materials, the extrapolated curve for the normal resistivity of
the wire above Tc in figure 1 roughly yields the values of
0.01 μ cm and 0.015 μ cm for the resistivity of copper
at 26.4 K and 30.3 K, respectively. Figure 2 shows the
experimental results of the critical currents and n -values in
the self-field for the MgB2 sample wire as a function of
temperature, where the solid lines represent approximated
curves for the experimental results [11]. By using these
approximated curves, the critical current and n -value at 26.4 K
(or 30.3 K) can be estimated as 192 A and 116 (or 101 A and
69), respectively.
The AC losses in the MgB2 sample wire carrying
alternating transport currents were measured by means of the
standard technique with a lock-in amplifier [12, 13]. For
conducting these measurements, the output current from the
power supply was controlled with a sinusoidal waveform
oscillator. The reference signal for the lock-in amplifier was
obtained directly from the output of the oscillator, and the
phase of the reference was adjusted using a pickup coil for the
applied current to measure the component that was in phase
with the voltage drop between a pair of potential taps attached
to the sample wire. The effective length of the sample wire
was 54 mm, and the distance between the potential taps was
10 mm. Both the sample wire and the pickup coil were located
in the cryogenic environment. The sample wire was cooled
indirectly by thermal conduction with gaseous helium whose
temperature was suitably controlled in advance. The stability
at a fixed temperature was better than ±0.1 K. In addition, no
external magnetic field was applied to the sample wire.
Figure 3 shows the experimental results of the transport
current losses in the sample wire at temperatures of 26.4 and
30.3 K, and at frequencies of 50 and 100 Hz. The horizontal
axis represents the normalized current amplitude i m . The
amplitude Im of the applied current is normalized with the
Supercond. Sci. Technol. 23 (2010) 045026 K Kajikawa et al

Figure 3. Experimental results of transport current losses in MgB2

sample wire. The lines represent the theoretical curves derived using
the Bean model [8, 9, 14].

follows. Let us consider a cylindrical coordinate system for the

MgB2 round wire with an infinite length in the z direction and
an outer radius R3 in the r direction. In this case, Maxwell’s
equations become
∂E ∂B
= , (2)
∂r ∂t
1 ∂(r B)
= μ0 J, (3)
r ∂r
where E is the local electric field in the z direction, B the
local magnetic flux density in the azimuthal direction, and J
the local current density in the z direction. It is assumed that
Figure 2. Temperature dependence of (a) critical currents and
(b) n -values in self-field for MgB2 sample wire [11]. The solid lines
the E – J property is given by
represent the approximated curves. ⎧  n
⎨ E |J |
⎪ J
for superconductor region,
c
E(J ) = Jc |J |
⎪
⎩ρ J
critical current Ic of the wire at each temperature shown in m for metal sheath regions,
table 1 as i m = Im /Ic . The solid and dashed lines represent (4)
the theoretical curves for the transport current loss Q s per unit where E c is the electric-field criterion of the critical current
length of the superconductor with a round cross-section per density Jc in the superconductor given by 1 μV cm−1 , and ρm
cycle based on the Bean model given by [8, 9, 14] the resistivity of metal sheaths. The critical current density
  Jc and n -value of the superconductor and the resistivity ρm
(2 − i m )i m
Q s = Q 0 (1 − i m ) ln(1 − i m ) + , (1) of the metal sheaths for each temperature of 26.4 and 30.3 K
2 are obtained from the corresponding experiments and have
where Q 0 = μ0 Ic2 /π . The experimental values of the AC already been listed in table 1. The boundary conditions for
losses are somewhat larger than the theoretical ones, and the magnetic flux density are expressed as
the AC losses at a given current amplitude decrease with an μ0 I (t) μ0 Im cos ωt
increase in the temperature because of the reduction in the B(R3 , t) = = , (5)
2π R 3 2π R 3
critical current. Furthermore, the AC losses increase slightly
with the frequency.
B(0, t) = 0, (6)

3. Numerical calculation of AC losses where ω is the angular frequency. Equations (2) and (3)
are discretized by means of a finite difference method [15]
In order to understand the experimental results of the AC losses in order to simulate the time variation of the profile of the
presented in section 2, a numerical calculation is carried out as electromagnetic fields. By using the obtained distribution of

3
Supercond. Sci. Technol. 23 (2010) 045026
Figure 4. Comparison among experimental, numerical, and
theoretical results of AC losses in MgB2 sample wire at (a) 50 Hz
and (b) 100 Hz. The temperature is maintained constant at 26.4 K.
the electromagnetic fields, the AC loss Q per unit length per
cycle in each material can be estimated by
 in the superconductor are almost the same as the theoretical
Q = dt 2πr E(r, t)J (r, t) dr, (7)
r hand, the AC losses in the copper sheath are comparable to
where r represents the radial region of each material.
Figure 4 shows the comparison between the experimental
and numerical results of AC losses at 26.4 K. Figures 4(a)
and (b) represent the AC losses for frequencies of 50 Hz
and 100 Hz, respectively. The square symbols represent the
experimental results of the AC losses, as already presented
in figure 3, and the curves are obtained from the theoretical
expression [8, 9, 14] and the numerical calculations. The
triangular and rhomboid symbols will be discussed in section 4.
It can be seen that the numerical results of the total AC losses,
i.e. the sum of the losses in the superconductor, niobium,
and copper, show a good agreement with the experimental
4
K Kajikawa et al
Figure 5. Comparison among experimental, numerical, and
theoretical results of AC losses in MgB2 sample wire at (a) 50 Hz
and (b) 100 Hz. The temperature is maintained constant at 30.3 K.
results. Furthermore, the numerical results of the AC losses
ones calculated with the Bean model [8, 9, 14]. On the other
those in the superconductor and enhance the total losses as
compared with the theoretical expression [8, 9, 14]. Figure 5
shows the numerical results for a temperature of 30.3 K, and
results similar to those shown in figure 4 are obtained except
for a relatively large region of the current amplitude, where
it is considered that the cause for the discrepancy between
the experimental and numerical results might be a slight
temperature rise during the AC loss measurements.
The numerical results of current sharing among each
material constituting the wire at 26.4 K and 100 Hz are
shown in figure 6, where the root-mean-square values during
a cycle divided by the total transport current are estimated.
Supercond. Sci. Technol. 23 (2010) 045026 K Kajikawa et al

while the current is decreasing, the electric field induced on

the surface of the superconductor filament is obtained as

r 2 d Bi
E(R1 , t) = −R1 ln . (10)
R 1 dt

When Poynting’s vector per unit length on the surface of the

superconductor filament is integrated over a half cycle of the
decreasing current and doubled as

Bi
Qs = 2 2π R1 E(R1 , t) dt, (11)
half cycle μ0

precisely the same expression as (1) can be obtained.

On the other hand, the electric field induced outside the
superconductor is expressed by

r 2 d Bi
E(r, t) = −R1 ln for r  R1 . (12)
Figure 6. Numerical results of current sharing among r dt
superconductor filament and niobium and copper sheaths at 26.4 K
and 100 Hz. Therefore, the expression for the eddy current loss Q e per
unit length per cycle in the metal sheath surrounding the
superconductor is finally obtained as
It is found that the currents flowing in both the niobium 
E(rm , t)2 μ0 f Sm Q 0 i m2
and copper sheaths are almost negligible, and therefore, the Q e = 2 Sm dt =
superconductor filament carries almost all of the transport half cycle ρm ρm
 π   2
current. However, when the amplitude of the transport current R1 1 − cos τ
approaches the critical current of the wire, the current shared × ln 1 − im sin2 τ dτ, (13)
0 rm 2
in the superconductor decreases slightly below unity.
where Sm and rm are the cross-sectional area and the average
radius of the metal sheath, respectively, and f is the frequency.
4. Theoretical expression for eddy current loss in a From (13), it can be seen that the eddy current loss Q e in the
metal sheath metal sheath is directly proportional to the frequency f and
inversely proportional to the resistivity ρm . Moreover, the eddy
On the basis of the numerical results obtained in section 3,
current loss is almost proportional to the second power of the
an expression is theoretically derived for estimating the
current amplitude i m if it is very small. On the other hand, in
eddy current loss occurring in a metal sheath. Here, it is
the case of large amplitudes, the eddy current loss is affected
assumed that the applied transport current flows only in the
by the parameter i m in the integrand of (13).
superconductor filament subject to the Bean model [8]. Let us
Figures 4 and 5 already showed the comparison of
also consider only the process by which the transport current
the theoretical values of the eddy current losses estimated
I (t) = Im cos ωt (0  t  π/ω) decreases because of the
from (13) with the numerical results for the niobium and
symmetry of its waveform. In this case, the position of the flux
copper sheaths obtained in section 3. It can be seen that the
front at the peak current, r1 , is expressed by
theoretical expression in (13) reproduces the numerical results
 
very well. However, when the amplitude of the transport
Bim Im
r 1 = R1 1 − = R1 1 − , (8) current approaches the critical current, the expression (13)
Bp Ic somewhat overestimates the eddy current losses in the metal
where Bim is the maximum self-field on the surface of the sheaths due to the reduction in the current shared in the
superconductor filament represented by Bim = μ0 Im /(2π R1 ), superconductor filament, as shown in figure 6.
and Bp the full penetration field given by Bp = μ0 Jc R1 /2 =
μ0 Ic /(2π R1 ). The position r2 of a kink for the field 5. Conclusions
profile inside the superconductor while the transport current
is decreasing becomes The AC losses in a monofilamentary MgB2 sample wire
  with a round cross-section and carrying alternating transport
Bim − Bi Im − I currents were found to be dependent on the temperature and
r 2 = R1 1 − = R1 1 − , (9) frequency, and the losses were measured by means of the
2 Bp 2 Ic
standard technique using a lock-in amplifier. The numerical
where Bi is the self-field on the surface of the superconductor calculations of AC losses suggested that the superconductor
due to the transport current and is given by Bi (t) = filament carried almost all of the transport current and the AC
μ0 I (t)/(2π R1 ). By estimating the time variation of the inter- losses in the copper sheath were comparable with those in
linkage magnetic flux with the profile of the magnetic field the superconductor, which agreed well with the results of the

5
Supercond. Sci. Technol. 23 (2010) 045026
conventional theoretical expression based on the Bean model.
In addition, the expression for the eddy current loss in the metal
sheath was derived analytically and it was found to reproduce
the numerical results of AC losses well in not only the copper
sheath but also the niobium sheath.
Acknowledgment
This work was supported by the Industrial Technology
Research Grant Program in 2008 (08B38006a) from the New
Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization
(NEDO) of Japan.
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