In a groundbreaking achievement, a research team led by Prof. Chen Wenge from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with Prof. Ma Yanwei’s research group from the Institute of Electrical Engineering of CAS, has developed the inaugural Tesla-class iron-based superconducting coil designed for high-field applications. The research findings have been published in Superconductor Science and Technology.
Iron-based superconductors represent a new frontier in superconducting materials, following the discovery of cupric oxide superconductors. With notable advantages such as a high upper critical field and low anisotropy, iron-based superconductors have garnered widespread attention and research efforts in recent years. The global scientific community has been actively investigating the preparation of iron-based superconducting wires/tapes and the fabrication of iron-based superconducting coils.
In this study, researchers undertook the design and optimization of an iron-based superconducting high-field insert coil based on the parameters of three 100-meter-long iron-based superconducting tapes. The team delved into the development process of the coil, refining and perfecting it, and established a test system for the iron-based superconducting coil in a high magnetic field.
Promising results were achieved with the demonstration of a higher magnetic field using seven large-sized iron-based superconducting double pancake coils (DPCs). The coil successfully generated a central magnetic field strength of 1.03 T within the 20 T background field of the WM3 water-cooled magnet at the High Magnetic Field Laboratory. This performance surpassed all previously reported tests for iron-based superconductor coils.
Prof. Chen Wenge, leading the team, expressed, “This is the first practical application of iron-based superconducting materials in a high background magnetic field, which greatly promotes the practical progress of iron-based superconducting materials.” The development signifies a significant stride toward realizing the potential applications of iron-based superconductors in high-field scenarios.
Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences