Current carrying and current distribution in the straight CORC based on equivalent circuit coupled with finite element model

Abstract

Based on the great potential of high-temperature superconducting magnets, higher requirements are placed on the current-carrying capacity and scale of their preparation and winding in engineering. CORC (Conductor on Round Core) is considered one of the most promising superconducting cables/conductors for large-scale applications, owing to its stable mechanical structure and high current-carrying density under a strong magnetic field. For CORC, different winding methods and tape layers exhibit different characteristics. In practical, when large current is applied to the non-insulated CORC, the interlayer current will be generated through the contact resistance between the layers. For the multi-layer parallel winding CORC conductor, the joint resistance and contact resistance will affect the current distribution. In order to analyze the current in the layers and between the layers, the equivalent circuit model is usually used. Aiming at the problem of superconducting layer current and interlayer current distribution of multi-layer CORC-like conductor under unsteady state, this paper couples the equivalent circuit with the finite element model and uses it to calculate the current distribution and interlayer current of CORC-like conductor under DC condition. The distribution of joint resistance determines the current distribution at the terminal, and the contact resistance mainly affects the magnitude of the interlayer current.