Performance Investigation of Contactless Self-Regulating HTS Flux Pump

Self-regulating high temperature superconducting (HTS) flux pump is one of the most effective methods to compensate the current degradation of a closed HTS magnet for its stable operation. In this study, to understand the working principle as well as the influential factors regarding to its operation performance, a basic circuit model has been established. Based on that, we found the saturation load current is strongly related to the added secondary resistance, which could offset the DC bias current induced in the charging loop. Then, we built a prototype experimentally, in which, part of the load coil was used as a HTS bridge and bifilar bridge design has been adopted to minimize the possible flux fluctuation in the load loop. In the experiment, the dependence of the charging performance on the bridge length as well as the added secondary resistance at different frequencies has been clarified. The results show that, the load current is remarkably impacted by the aforementioned parameters. Specifically speaking, with an increasing added secondary resistance, the operating frequency needs to be higher to ensure the secondary current can follow the primary current, which is crucial for maintaining a larger load current.