Development of a thermally switched superconducting rectifier for 100 kA

A full-wave superconducting rectifier for 100 kA has been developed. Typical design values of this device are: a secondary current of 100 kA, a primary amplitude of 20 A, an operating frequency of 0.5 Hz, and an average power on the order of 100 W. The rectification is achieved by means of thermally controlled superconducting switches with recovery times of 150 to 300 ms. A description of the rectifier system is given. The first experiments, in which the rectifier was tested at up to 25 kA demonstrate reliable and fail-safe operation of the rectifier at lower current levels. It was, for example, successfully used to load and unload a 25-kA coil at a rectifier frequency of 0.4 Hz and an average power of 30 W. During tests without any load, it was found that the secondary circuit of the transformer quenches at about 60 kA. Therefore, it is unlikely that the rectifier in its present configuration will attain 100 kA.