Quench Experiments of Conduction-Cooled Coated Conductors With Various Copper-Stabilizer Thicknesses

We experimentally studied the quench properties of REBa2Cu3Oy (RE-123) coated conductors with various plated-copper thicknesses (20 and 40 μm). A short sample of coated conductors was conduction-cooled to 45 K, a magnetic field (μ0H, up to 2 T) was applied perpendicular to its wide face to control the critical current, an operating current was supplied, and subsequently quench was initiated using a small heater. Normal zone propagation velocities (NZPVs) were measured at various operating currents, and the NZPVs of coated conductors with various copper thicknesses were compared with each other. To understand the impact of the copper stabilizer on quench protection, hot-spot temperatures were measured during the processes that simulate quench detection using voltage taps and protection using dump resistor. The maximum hot-spot temperatures were plotted against the operating current as well as the overall current density, and the impact of the thickness of the copper stabilizer on hot-spot temperature was examined. The impact of the initial temperature on hot-spot temperature was also studied.