The 3D Mixed-Dimensional Quench Model of a High Aspect Ratio High Temperature Superconducting Coated Conductor Tape

W.K. Chan[1,2], J. Schwartz[2], P. Masson[3], and C. Luongo[4]
[1]FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Tallahassee, FL, USA
[2]North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
[3]Advanced Magnet Lab, Palm Bay, FL, USA
[4]ITER Organization/Magnet Division, Saint Paul-lez-Durance, France
Published in 2010

A successful development of an effective quench detection and protection method for a high temperature superconducting (HTS) coil based on a HTS coated conductor tape lays on a thorough understanding of its slowly propagating, three-dimension (3D) quench behavior. Toward this goal, a 3D micrometer scale finite element (FE) thermo-magnetostatic HTS tape model is developed and implemented in COMSOL. The tape model is composed of laminated high aspect ratio thin layers, including a superconducting layer and two inter-layers, grown on top of a relatively thick substrate and enclosed by a copper stabilizer. The physics from all layers are accounted for in the model in real physical dimensions. The superconducting thin film is approximated by two dimensional (2D) tangential equations, and the thin inter-layers are approximated by contact resistance type interior boundaries, while the relatively thick stabilizer and substrate layers are modeled in 3D physics. The mixed-dimensional model is validated numerically and experimentally; results show that the mixed-dimensional model is capable of reproducing physical quench behavior accurately.

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