Winding current of 1950 A at 20 T achieved in layer-wound high-temperature superconducting magnet made from CORC cables

A layer-wound magnet that was constructed from a high-temperature superconducting cable was successfully tested at a temperature of 4.2 K and in a background field of 19.81 T. The CORC cable consisted of 20 superconducting tapes that were wound into 6 layers, forming a cable with an outer diameter of 7 mm. The cable was wound into a 2 layer, 12 turn magnet that had an inner diameter of only 9 cm. The magnet was tested at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida, where the windings carried a superconducting current of 1950 A in a total field of 20.0 T.

This is the first test of a layer-wound magnet in which the superconducting winding current exceeds 1000 A in a magnetic field of 20 T. The overall winding current density of 50 A/mm2 emphasizes the feasibility of CORC cables for high-field magnet applications.

The inner layer of the double-layer magnet wound from CORC cables.
Electric field vs. current characteristics of the magnet at 4.2 K in a background field of 19.81 T.