Design of an MgB₂race track coil for a wind generator pole demonstration

An MgB2 race track coil intended for demonstrating a down scaled pole of a 10 MW direct drive wind turbine generator has been designed. The coil consists of 10 double pancake coils stacked into a race track coil with a cross section of 84 mm x 80 mm. The length of the straight section is 0.5 m and the diameter of the end sections is 0.3 m. Expanded to a straight section of 3.1 m it will produce about 1.5 T magnetic flux density in the air gap of the 10 MW 32 pole generator and about 3.0 T at the edge of the superconducting coil with an operation current density of the coil of 70 A/mm2.Electrical Sustainable EnergyElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc

The critical current density of advanced internal-Mg-diffusion-processed MgB2 wires

Recent advances in MgB2 conductors are leading to a new level of performance. Based on the use of proper powders, proper chemistry, and an architecture which incorporates internal Mg diffusion (IMD), a dense MgB2 structure with not only a high critical current density Jc, but also a high engineering critical current density, Je, can be obtained. In this paper, a series of these advanced (or second - generation, "2G") conductors has been prepared. Scanning electron microscopy and associated energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were applied to characterize the microstructures and compositions of the wires, and a dense MgB2 layer structure was observed. The best layer Jc for our sample is 1.07x105 A/cm2 at 10 T, 4.2 K, and our best Je is seen to be 1.67x104 A/cm2 at 10 T, 4.2 K. Optimization of the transport properties of these advanced wires is discussed in terms of B-powder choice, area fraction, and the MgB2 layer growth mechanism.Comment: 13 pages, 3 tables, 7 figures (or 8 pp in published version

Critical Current Density and Current Transfer Length of Multifilamentary MgB2 Strands of Various Design

In this paper, a series of high performing PIT MgB2 strands have been prepared. Transport voltage-current measurements were performed to determine the effects of C doping and strand geometry such as filament numbers. The best Jc for our samples was 1.0 × 105 A/cm2 at 4.2 K, 7 T, for a strand using B powder with 3% C addition. The current transfer length (CTL) was also measured for MgB2 short wires with Nb chemical barrier and Monel outer sheath. The CTL ranged from 2-12 mm, and had a correlation with the filament numbers.This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, High Energy Physics grant DE-FG02-95ER40900, and a DOE SBIR.The in-field critical current densities of a set of in situ CTFF-type PIT MgB2 strands have been investigated in terms of C doping level, wire diameter and filament number. The strand with optimal doping level – 3% C achieved the best Jc of 1.0 × 105 A/cm2 at 4.2 K, 7 T. By fitting it with the percolation model, the parameters showed that the Bc2 and the flux pinning strength was improved and the anisotropy ratio was reduced. Increases in filament count did not change Jc, although n-values were higher for the monocore strand. The current transfer length of MgB2 strands with Nb chemical barriers and Monel sheaths increased with filament count. The CTL was less than 3.7 mm for the monocore strand, and it ranged from 2.2-11.8 mm for the 24- filamentary strand D2, depending on the applied field

Drawing induced texture and the evolution of superconductive properties with heat treatment time in powder-in-tube in-situ processed MgB2 strands

Monocore powder-in-tube MgB2 strands were cold-drawn and heat-treated at 600C and 700C for times of up to 71 hours and structure-property relationships examined. Drawing-induced elongation of the Mg particles led, after HT, to a textured macrostructure consisting of elongated polycrystalline MgB2 fibers separated by elongated pores. The superconducting Tc, Jc and Fp were correlated with the macrostructure and grain size. Grain size increased with HT time at both 600C and 700C. Jc and hence Fp decreased monotonically but not linearly with grain size. Overall, it was observed that at 700C, the MgB2 reaction was more or less complete after as little as 30 min; at 600C, full reaction completion did not occur until 71 h. into the HT. Transport, Jct(B) was measured in a perpendicular applied field, and the magnetic critical current densities, Jcm\bot(B) and Jcm{\phi}(B), were measured in perpendicular and parallel (axial) applied fields, respectively. Particularly noticeable was the premature dropoff of Jcm\bot(B) at fields well below the irreversibility field of Jct(B). This effect is attributed to the fibrous macrostructure and its accompanying anisotropic connectivity. Magnetic measurements with the field directed along the strand axis yielded a critical density, Jcm\bot(B), for current flowing transversely to the strand axis that was less than and dropped off more rapidly than Jct(B). In the conventional magnetic measurement, the loop currents that support the magnetization are restricted by the lower of Jct(B) and Jcm{\phi} (B). In the present case the latter, leading to the premature dropoff of the measured Jcm(B) compared to Jct(B) with increasing field. This result is supported by Kramer plots of the Jcm{\phi} (B) and Jct(B) data which lead to an irreversibility field for transverse current that is very much less than the usual transport-measured longitudinal one, Birr,t.Comment: 41 pages, 14 figure

Interim results: development of a head-end process for recovering uranium and thorium from crushed Fort St. Vrain fuel

Development of processes and equipment for recovering uranium and thorium from crushed Ft. St. Vrain fuel is described. Primary burning, particle classification, particle breaking, secondary burning, and aqueous processing were studied. Interim pilot-plant results show that: (1) graphite can be burned at the plant equivalent rate of 35 kgC/hr-ft$sup 2$ in the primary burner and that fines can be consumed by recycle to the primary burner; (2) separation to greater than 95 percent pure fissile and 85 percent pure fertile particles can be effected by a gas classifier; (3) gas jets are capable of breaking silicon carbide coatings at rates compatible with plant requirements; gas utilization efficiencies are sufficiently great that off-gas generated by the jets is less than 5 percent of the off-gas generated by the process equipment; (4) an artificial inert bed is not required for secondary burning and the carbon content of the bed can easily be reduced to less than 2 percent in the secondary burner; (5) corrosion rates of thorex solution on 304 L stainless steel are sufficiently low to allow the dissolver to be constructed of 304 L stainless steel; and, (6) solids--liquid separation efficiencies using a continuous solid-bowl centrifuge are sufficiently high to process the dissolver product in a pulse-column extractor. Basic data on the process materials and conditions germane to the safety analysis for the process are also given. (JGB

Structure and properties of MgB2bulks: Ab-initio simulations compared to experiment

Analysis of XRD patterns by Rietveld refinement has been shown that the main phase of superconducting MgB$_{2}$-based bulk materials (with high level of superconducting characteristics) has AlB$_{2}$ type structure and near MgB$_{1.8-1.68}$O$_{0.2-0.32}$ stoichiometry. The materials demonstrated the critical current densities up to 0.9 – 0.4 MA/cm$^{2}$ jc (at 0 - 1 T, 20 K); up to 15 T B$_{c2}$ (at 22.5 K) and B$_{irr}$ (at 18 K). The ab-initio simulation confirmed (1) benefits in binding energy and enthalpy of formation if stoichiometry of the solid solution is near MgB$_{1.75}$O$_{0.25}$; (2) energetic advantage in case if impurity oxygen present only in each second boron plane of MgB2 cell while the first boron plane of the same cell stays pristine and location of substituted oxygen atoms in the nearby positions. Besides, the results of ab-initio modeling allow explanation of the tendency towards segregation of O-impurity in MgB$_{2}$ structure during synthesis or sintering, and formation of Mg-B-O inclusions or nanolayers (with MgO type of structure) which effect pinning. Calculated transition temperatures, T$_{c}$, for MgB$_{1.75}$O$_{0.25}$ occurred to be 23.3 K, while for MgB$_{2}$ it was 21.13 K only. Experimental T$_{c}$ of the bulk materials was 35.7-38.2 K

How managers can build trust in strategic alliances: a meta-analysis on the central trust-building mechanisms

Trust is an important driver of superior alliance performance. Alliance managers are influential in this regard because trust requires active involvement, commitment and the dedicated support of the key actors involved in the strategic alliance. Despite the importance of trust for explaining alliance performance, little effort has been made to systematically investigate the mechanisms that managers can use to purposefully create trust in strategic alliances. We use Parkhe’s (1998b) theoretical framework to derive nine hypotheses that distinguish between process-based, characteristic-based and institutional-based trust-building mechanisms. Our meta-analysis of 64 empirical studies shows that trust is strongly related to alliance performance. Process-based mechanisms are more important for building trust than characteristic- and institutional-based mechanisms. The effects of prior ties and asset specificity are not as strong as expected and the impact of safeguards on trust is not well understood. Overall, theoretical trust research has outpaced empirical research by far and promising opportunities for future empirical research exist

Multifilamentary, in-situ Route, Cu-stabilized MgB2 Strands

Transport critical current densities and n-values were measured at 4.2 K in fields up to 15 T on 7, 19, and 37-stack multifilamentary MgB2 strands made using an in-situ route. Some strands included SiC additions (particle size 30 nm), while in others Mg-rich compositions were used. Two basic multifilamentary variants were measured, the first had Nb filamentary barriers, the second had Fe filamentary barriers. All samples incorporated stabilizer in the form of Cu 101. Simple, one-step heat treatments were used, with temperatures ranging from 700-800C, and times from 10-30 minutes. Transport critical current densities of 1.75 x 105 A/cm2 were seen at 4.2 K and 5 T in 37 stack strands.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figs, 2 table