Stability projections for high temperature superconductors

The stability of the high-temperature superconducting oxides has been analyzed, using the methodology developed for conventional type II superconductors. The results are presented in graphical form for the temperature range from 4 to 100 K. For a 90-K superconductor the first flux jump field peaks above 7 T at 60 K, and for a 120-K superconductor it peaks above 12 T at 75 K. The maximum adiabatically stable thickness increases greatly. The linear dimension of the minimum propagating zone increases by a factor of 3 to 5, and the quench propagation velocity drops by four orders of magnitude. It is concluded that the high-temperature superconducting materials will have much higher stability than conventional type II superconductors and that their high flux jump fields will make ultrafine multifilamentary conductors unnecessary and improve the outlook for tape conductors. The energy required to create a propagating zone is increased. However, methods of coil protection will have to be modified