AC Loss Investigation for Stacked HTS Cables With Gap Optimization

Cables made by HTS tapes usually have anisotropic dependence by magnetic field owing to the inherit anisotropic characteristics in HTS materials. By increasing number of tapes, the perpendicular magnetic field components weaken the critical current of the whole conductor, and also lead to larger AC loss during AC operation. To reduce the AC loss from stacked HTS conductors, this article studies gap optimization schemes between non-twisted stacked HTS tapes. Finite element modeling with performance comparisons for a stacked HTS conductor (10 tapes) using non-uniform schemes is demonstrated. The results indicate that gap optimizations have better impacts in AC loss reduction rather than those direct stacked conductors. Designs using non-twisted configurations would be simpler, cheaper, and more robust. Therefore, the gap optimization method can be used to explore high current design for large-scale HTS applications.