(Bi2212) show that the critical current density J c is limited by the connectivity of the filaments, but what determines the connectivity is still elusive. Here we report on the role played by filament porosity in limiting J c . By a microstructural investigation of wires quenched from the melt state, we find that porosity in the unreacted wire agglomerates into bubbles that segment the Bi2212 melt within the filaments into discrete sections.These bubbles do not disappear during subsequent processing because they are only partially filled by Bi2212 grains as the Bi2212 forms on cooling. Correlating the microstructure of quenched wires to their final, fully processed J c values shows an inverse relation between J c and bubble density. Bubbles are variable between conductors and perhaps from sample to sample, but they occur frequently and almost completely fill the filament diameter, so they exert a strongly variable but always negative effect on J c . Bubbles reduce the continuous Bi2212 path within each filament and force supercurrent to flow through Bi2212 grains that span the bubbles or through a thin Bi2212 layer at the interface between the bubble and the Ag matrix. Eliminating bubbles appears to be a promising new path to raise the J c of Bi2212 round wires. Published in Superconductor Science and TechnologyGeneva, Switzerland CERN-ATS 2011-010May 2011 (Bi2212) show that the critical current density J c is limited by the connectivity of the filaments, but what determines the connectivity is still elusive. Here we report on the role played by filament porosity in limiting J c . By a microstructural investigation of wires quenched from the melt state, we find that porosity in the unreacted wire agglomerates into bubbles that segment the Bi2212 melt within the filaments into discrete sections. These bubbles do not disappear during subsequent processing because they are only partially filled by Bi2212 grains as the Bi2212 forms on cooling. Correlating the microstructure of quenched wires to their final, fully processed J c values shows an inverse relation between J c and bubble density. Bubbles are variable between conductors and perhaps from sample to sample, but they occur frequently and almost completely fill the filament diameter, so they exert a strongly variable but always negative effect on J c . Bubbles reduce the continuous Bi2212 path within each filament and force supercurrent to flow through Bi2212 grains that span the bubbles or through a thin Bi2212 layer at the interface between the bubble and the Ag matrix. Eliminating bubbles appears to be a promising new path to raise the J c of Bi2212 round wires.

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A 25.05 T magnetic field was generated by a 5.11 T superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox insert magnet within a 19.94 T resistive magnet. The Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox magnet is constructed using fully reacted powder-in-tube conductor and insulated stainless steel reinforcement. Three concentric sections are used to minimize the total stress in the Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox conductor: two double pancake stacks and an outer layer-wound section. The insert coil operates at 4.2 K in a 0.168 m diameter cryostat fitted to the resistive magnet. Here we provide an overview of the design and construction of the insert and the results of self-field and in-field testing. Mechanical and electrical safety issues, related to testing in a large resistive magnet, are discussed.

High-temperature superconductors (HTS) could enable high-field magnets stronger than is possible with Nb-Ti and Nb 3 Sn, but two challenges have so far been the low engineering critical current density J E , especially in high-current cables, and the danger of quenches. Most HTS magnets made so far have been made out of REBCO coated conductor. Here we demonstrate stable, reliable and training-quench-free performance of Bi-2212 racetrack coils wound with a Rutherford cable fabricated from wires made with a new precursor powder. These round multifilamentary wires exhibited a record J E up to 950 A/mm 2 at 30 T at 4.2 K. These coils carried up to 8.6 kA while generating 3.5 T at 4.2 K at a J E of 1020 A/mm 2 . Different from the unpredictable training performance of Nb-Ti and Nb 3 Sn magnets, these Bi-2212 magnets showed no training quenches and entered the flux flow state in a stable manner before thermal runaway and quench occurred. Also different from Nb-Ti, Nb 3 Sn, and REBCO magnets for which localized thermal runaways occur at unpredictable locations, the quenches of Bi-2212 magnets consistently occurred in the high field regions over a long conductor length. These characteristics make quench detection simple, enabling safe protection, and suggest a new paradigm of constructing quench-predictable superconducting magnets from Bi-2212.