Evaluation of the Applicability of Phenomenological HTS Models for Numerical Analysis of Quenches in Coated Conductors: Simulations vs. Experiments

Abstract

The electrical resistivity of coated conductors is strongly related to the inter-dependent set of parameters (J, H, T), respectively current density, magnetic field and temperature. On the one hand, it is difficult to isolate the contribution of each of these parameters on the resistivity measured experimentally. On the other hand, numerical methods, which may allow this separation, require a good knowledge of the fundamental laws governing the superconducting transition which are, up to now, derived from curve fitting with experimental data. In this paper, we investigate the influence of phenomenological formulas on the outputs of a recently developed finite element model. The outputs are compared against experimental voltage curves, which have been obtained under pulsed transport currents between 80 and 160 A and external magnetic fluxes of 0 to 350 mT. The comparisons indicate that the numerical models may reproduce well the measurements, using the right set of phenomenological laws parameters. Nevertheless, the solution may still be inaccurate at low field values and high current amplitudes, where the curvature of the simulated E-J curves is more pronounced, indicating that further refinement is required in order to obtain models valid over a wider range of parameters.Index Terms-Fault current limiters, finite element methods, high-temperature superconductors.