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DOE OSTI2024

Autoregressive distributed lag-based dynamic uniformity modeling and monitoring approaches for superconductor manufacturing

High-temperature superconductors (HTS), known for their high efficiency and low energy loss, have found profound applications across various fields, driving the demand for long, uniformly performing tapes. However, ensuring uniform performance over extended lengths of HTS tapes, often characterized by the consistency of critical current, remains challenging due to fluctuations in growth conditions during manufacturing. Here, to elucidate the mechanisms underlying variations in tape uniformity and enable real-time monitoring of associated parameters, we propose an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ADL)-based Dynamic Uniformity Modeling and Monitoring (ADUM2) approach. This method integrates uniformity measurement, the identification of critical process parameters and real-time monitoring within the manufacturing process. The ADUM2 approach is applied to the advanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition (A-MOCVD) process, a pilot-scale method for superconductor manufacturing. Our model demonstrates superior performance compared to benchmark methods, accounting for over 80% of the total variance in the data and identifying 13 key process parameters influencing the uniformity of HTS tapes. This study offers significant insights into the high-temperature superconductor manufacturing process and holds the potential to facilitate the production of cost-effective, uniformly performing long superconducting tapes in the future.

autoregressive distributed lag analysis↗

DOE OSTI2024

Quantile regression-enriched event modeling framework for dropout analysis in high-temperature superconductor manufacturing

High-temperature superconductor (HTS) tapes have shown promising characteristics of high critical current, which are prerequisites for applications in high-field magnets. Due to the unstable growth conditions in the HTS manufacturing process, however, the frequent occurrences of dropouts in the critical current impede the consistent performance of HTS tapes. To manufacture HTS tapes with large scale, high yield, and uniform performance, it is essential to develop novel data analysis approaches for modeling the dropouts and identifying the related important process parameters. Conventional methods for modeling recurrent events, such as the point process, require the extraction of events from quality measurements. As the critical current is a continuous process, it may not comprehensively represent the drop patterns by transforming the time-series measurements into a set of events. Here, to solve this issue, we develop a novel quantile regression-enriched event modeling (QREM) framework that integrates the non-homogeneous Poisson process for modeling the occurrence of dropouts and the quantile regression for capturing the drop patterns. By incorporating the feature selection and regularization, the proposed framework identifies a set of significant process parameters that can potentially cause the dropouts of HTS tapes. The proposed method is tested on real HTS tapes produced using an advanced manufacturing process, successfully identifying important parameters that influence dropout events including the substrate temperature and voltage. The results demonstrate that the proposed QREM method outperforms the standard point process in predicting the occurrence of dropouts.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2025

Additively-manufactured monocrystalline YBCO superconductor

Abstract Single-crystal microstructures enable high-performance YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x superconductors which are however limited to simple shapes due to their brittleness. Additive manufacturing can fabricate YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x superconductor with complex shapes, albeit with a polycrystalline microstructure. Here, we demonstrate a route to grow single-crystals from 3D-ink-printed, polycrystalline, sintered superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (YBCO or Y123) + Y 2 BaCuO 5 (Y211), manufacturing objects with complex architectures displaying both high critical current density (J c =2.1 × 10 4 A . cm –2 , 77 K) and high critical temperature (T c = 88-89.5 K). An ink containing precursor powders (Y 2 O 3 , BaCO 3 , and CuO) is 3D-extruded into complex geometries and then reaction-sintered to obtain polycrystalline Y123 + Y211. A seed is then utilized to transform these 3D-printed parts from polycrystal to monocrystal via the melt growth method. The geometric details of 3D-printed parts survive the process without slumping, sagging or collapse, despite the long-term presence of liquid above the peritectic temperature. Origami structures can be created by sheet folding after 3D-printing. This additive approach enables the facile fabrication of superconducting devices with complex shapes and architectures, such as advanced undulator magnets to generate synchrotron radiation and microwave cavities for dark-matter axion search. This work highlights the potential of additive manufacturing for producing monocrystalline cuprate superconductors and opens the door to additive manufacturing of other monocrystalline functional ceramic or semiconductor materials.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

NASA NTRS2020

Status of Analysis and Manufacturability of Superconducting Wires with Low AC Losses

Superconductors can carry an order-of-magnitude higher current than room temperature copper wires and can do so with two orders-of-magnitude lower alternating current (AC) electrical losses. These advantages underlie our estimates that turboelectric propulsion of large aircraft can be enabled by superconducting machines. However, even the much smaller losses of superconductors pose thermal management issues at the low temperatures required for superconductivity, and predicting those losses and validating the predictions has been a developing process at NASA Glenn Research Center over the last decade. Since Glenn’s earliest assessments of the feasibility of fully superconducting machines for turboelectric propulsion, the available models of AC losses in superconductors have changed significantly, as well as the state of development of superconducting wire for the coils of electric machines. While the models available to us have improved significantly, the value of the AC losses predicted by these models have only increased as more fidelity was developed. The fabrication of medium temperature superconducting wires (Tc near 40 K) has advanced, and wires can be produced with finer filaments and tighter twisting than a decade ago. However, the ideal wire configurations, developed decades ago for low temperature superconductors (Tc < 25 K), still elude manufacturers of medium and high temperature (Tc > 77 K) superconductors. This report discusses the developments, the current limitations, and the expectations that future configurations of superconducting wire can yet be produced that will provide suitably low AC losses for the aircraft propulsion application. The report presents a basic discussion of the types of AC losses in superconductors, followed by a discussion of the evolution of our understanding of the practical consequences of those AC losses. Next, there is a discussion of the superconducting wire configurations that have been developed, which were partially guided by that understanding. A brief discussion of the modes of removing the heat produced by the losses is presented. Lastly, a comparison is presented between losses in currently available MgB2 wire and other important cases, including copper at room temperature, copper at liquid hydrogen temperature, and expected future MgB2 wire. Room temperature copper has 100 times the loss of today’s MgB2 and 300 times the expected loss of future MgB2. That implies we can expect much higher efficiency from fully superconducting machines than from machines with copper stators, and high efficiency targets remain the driver behind investment in MgB2 development and medium temperature superconductor research.

superconducting motors↗

NASA NTRS1996

Development of Y-Ba-Cu-O Superconductors for Magnetic Bearings

The material requirements, material manufacturing and magnetic properties that are relevant to fabrication of High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) magnetic bearings have been discussed. It is found that the seeded-melt-texturing method can be used to fabricate the single domain material that is required to achieve the best magnetic properties. Trapped-field mapping has been used as a non-destructive tool to determine the single-domain nature of the HTS material and quantity of the HTS disks. Both the trapped field and the levitation force of the Y-Ba-Cu-O disks are found to be strongly sensitive to the oxygen content.

Selvamanickam, V.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Correlations Between In-Line X-ray Diffraction Data and In-Field Critical Current of Long, 4-μm Thick Film REBCO Tapes Made by Advanced MOCVD

REBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ (REBCO, RE = rare earth) tapes with high critical current can be very impactful in high magnetic field applications at low temperatures and power applications at high temperatures. A pilot-scale Advanced Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) method was used to fabricate 50-m-long, 4+μm-thick REBCO tape in a single pass. Critical currents 3.3x that of commercial HTS tapes were achieved at 20 K, 12 T in these 50-m-long tapes. An in-line 2D X-ray Diffraction (XRD) system has been used to assess the quality of the long tapes in real-time, during manufacturing. The key peaks of REBCO, REO, and BZO phases were identified and utilized for tape quality analysis. Furthermore, a 20-m tape made by Advanced MOCVD was tested over its entire length by reel-to-reel (R2R) scanning Hall-probe microscopy (SHPM) at 65 K, 0.25 T, 2 T, and 4 T. 4-mm-wide strands of Advanced MOCVD tapes showed mean critical currents at 65 K of 530 A, 200 A, and 104 A at 0.25 T, 2 T, and 4 T respectively. The combined use of in-line and offline characterization techniques provides a reliable approach for assessing long REBCO tapes during manufacturing, serving as an effective feedback source for quality control in scaled-up REBCO tape deposition processes. This advancement contributes to the production of longer and more uniform high-performance REBCO tapes for large-scale, high-field superconducting applications

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

NASA NTRS1976

Space Processing Applications Rocket project, SPAR 1

The experiment objectives, design/operational concepts, and final results of each of nine scientific experiments conducted during the first Space Processing Applications Rocket (SPAR) flight are summarized. The nine individual SPAR experiments, covering a wide and varied range of scientific materials processing objectives, were entitled: solidification of Pb-Sb eutectic, feasibility of producing closed-cell metal foams, characterization of rocket vibration environment by measurement of mixing of two liquids, uniform dispersions of crystallization processing, direct observation of solidification as a function of gravity levels, casting thoria dispersion-strengthened interfaces, contained polycrystalline solidification, and preparation of a special alloy for manufacturing of magnetic hard superconductor under zero-g environment.

Reeves, F.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Fine-Filament MgB2 Superconductor Wire

Hyper Tech Research, Inc., has developed fine-filament magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductor wire for motors and generators used in turboelectric aircraft propulsion systems. In Phase I of the project, Hyper Tech demonstrated that MgB2 multifilament wires (<10 micrometers) could reduce alternating current (AC) losses that occur due to hysteresis, eddy currents, and coupling losses. The company refined a manufacturing method that incorporates a magnesium-infiltration process and provides a tenfold enhancement in critical current density over wire made by a conventional method involving magnesium-boron powder mixtures. Hyper Tech also improved its wire-drawing capability to fabricate fine multifilament strands. In Phase II, the company developed, manufactured, and tested the wire for superconductor and engineering current density and AC losses. Hyper Tech also fabricated MgB2 rotor coil packs for a superconducting generator. The ultimate goal is to enable low-cost, round, lightweight, low-AC-loss superconductors for motor and generator stator coils operating at 25 K in next-generation turboelectric aircraft propulsion systems.

Cantu, Sherrie↗

NASA NTRS1991

The magnitude of the magnetic field near the surface of a high-T(sub c) superconductor with a trapped flux

In 1986, much excitement was caused by the discovery of a class of materials that conducted electricity with zero resistance at temperatures above the boiling temperature of liquid nitrogen. This excitement was checked by the difficulties of manufacturing ceramics and the usefulness of high temperature superconductors that were restricted by their becoming high resistive conductors at small current densities. A lack of pinning of the magnetic field flux caused the return of high resistance as the current was increased in these materials. A study of the magnetic field near the surface of a high temperature superconductor is the first step in the search for a means of pinning the flux lines and increasing their critical current densities. The author found that a comparison between the defects in the surface of the superconductor and the magnetic field showed only a change in the field near the notch and the edge. No correlation was found between the surface grain or structure and the oscillations in the magnetic field. The observed changes in the magnetic field show resonances which may give an indication of the non-flux pinning in these superconductors. A flux pinning mechanism will increase the critical current densities; therefore, other methods of determining this field should be tried. The author proposes using a flux gate magnetometer with a detector wound on a ferrite core to measure the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field.

Overcash, Dan R.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Analytical study of space processing of immiscible materials for superconductors and electrical contacts

The results of a study conducted to determine the role space processing or materials research in space plays in the superconductor and electrical contact industries are presented. Visits were made to manufacturers, users, and research organizations connected with these products to provide information about the potential benefits of the space environment and to exchange views on the utilization of space facilities for manufacture, process development, or research. In addition, space experiments were suggested which could result in improved terrestrial processes or products. Notable examples of these are, in the case of superconductors, the development of Nb-bronze alloys (Tsuei alloys) and, in the electrical contact field, the production of Ag-Ni or Ag-metal oxide alloys with controlled microstructure for research and development activities as well as for product development. A preliminary experimental effort to produce and evaluate rapidly cooled Pb-Zn and Cu-Nb-Sn alloys in order to understand the relationship between microstructure and superconducting properties and to simulate the fine structure potentially achievable by space processing was also described.

Gelles, S. H.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Manufacturing Superconducting Cables

Process proposed for manufacture of cables containing ceramic high-temperature-superconductor YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-a). For protection, superconducting ceramic encapsulated before activation. Cables carry electrical current with little or no loss of power when cooled to or below temperatures of about minus 200 degrees C. Process accommodates brittle nature of YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-a) and economical and readily controllable. Also flexible in sense modified to accommodate variety of precursor materials to be processed into YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-a).

England, Christopher↗

NASA NTRS1990

Manufacture of bulk superconducting YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) by a continuous process

The development of a continuous process for fabricating large bulk superconductors with a predetermined grain orientation is reported. A bar of the 123 compound with dimensions 5 x 0.5 x about 0.3 cm with excellent grain alignment has been fabricated continuously. The bulk 123 thus obtained has magnetically determined J(c)s of about 30,000 and 12,000 A/sq cm at 0 and 1 T, respectively, and transport J(c)s of 20,000, 11,000, and 7500 A-sq cm at 0, 0.54, and 0.83 T.

Meng, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Manufacturing in space and materials sciences on Skylab

Two main groups of manufacturing and materials studies were performed during the Skylab missions. The first group of experiments studied processes which are important in orbital assembly and construction, including melting, solidification, brazing, welding, and cutting. The second group concerned the manufacture of specific materials, including metallic alloys, single crystals, doped semiconductors, composite materials, and multicomponent superconductors. The present paper discusses several specific experiments conducted on Skylab. In general, the processes tested produced materials of higher quality in space than they would have on earth. The experiments prove that the elimination of gravitational forces has a decisive effect on a number of materials processes.

Stuhlinger, E.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Integration Science and Technology of Advanced Ceramics for Energy and Environmental Applications

The discovery of new and innovative materials has been known to culminate in major turning points in human history. The transformative impact and functional manifestation of new materials have been demonstrated in every historical era by their integration into new products, systems, assemblies, and devices. In modern times, the integration of new materials into usable products has a special relevance for the technological development and economic competitiveness of industrial societies. Advanced ceramic technologies dramatically impact the energy and environmental landscape due to potential wide scale applications in all aspects of energy production, storage, distribution, conservation, and efficiency. Examples include gas turbine propulsion systems, fuel cells, thermoelectrics, photovoltaics, distribution and transmission systems based on superconductors, nuclear power generation, and waste disposal. Robust ceramic integration technologies enable hierarchical design and manufacturing of intricate ceramic components starting with geometrically simpler units that are subsequently joined to themselves and/or to metals to create components with progressively higher levels of complexity and functionality. However, for the development of robust and reliable integrated systems with optimum performance under different operating conditions, the detailed understanding of various thermochemical and thermomechanical factors is critical. Different approaches are required for the integration of ceramic-metal and ceramic-ceramic systems across length scales (macro to nano). In this presentation, a few examples of integration of ceramic to metals and ceramic to ceramic systems will be presented. Various challenges and opportunities in design, fabrication, and testing of integrated similar (ceramic-ceramic) and dissimilar (ceramic-metal) material systems will be discussed. Potential opportunities and need for the development of innovative design philosophies, approaches, and integrated system testing under simulated application conditions will also be presented.

Singh, M.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Ceramic Integration Technologies for Advanced Energy Systems: Critical Needs, Technical Challenges, and Opportunities

Advanced ceramic integration technologies dramatically impact the energy landscape due to wide scale application of ceramics in all aspects of alternative energy production, storage, distribution, conservation, and efficiency. Examples include fuel cells, thermoelectrics, photovoltaics, gas turbine propulsion systems, distribution and transmission systems based on superconductors, nuclear power generation and waste disposal. Ceramic integration technologies play a key role in fabrication and manufacturing of large and complex shaped parts with multifunctional properties. However, the development of robust and reliable integrated systems with optimum performance requires the understanding of many thermochemical and thermomechanical factors, particularly for high temperature applications. In this presentation, various needs, challenges, and opportunities in design, fabrication, and testing of integrated similar (ceramic ceramic) and dissimilar (ceramic metal) material www.nasa.gov 45 ceramic-ceramic-systems have been discussed. Experimental results for bonding and integration of SiC based Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) LDI fuel injector and advanced ceramics and composites for gas turbine applications are presented.

Singh, Mrityunjay↗

NASA NTRS1990

Phase compatibilities of YBa2Cu3O(9-delta) type structure in quintenary systems Y-Ba-Cu-O-X (impurity)

Electrical transport properties of the oxidic high T(sub c) superconductors are significantly affected by the presence of minor amounts of various elements adventing as impurities, e.g., from the chemical environment during manufacturing. YBa2Cu3O(9-delta) is prone to an extinction of the superconductivity on (partial) substitution of all four elemental components. E.g., Pr (for Y), La (for Ba), Zn (for Cu) or peroxygroup (for O) substituents will alter some of the superconductivity preconditions, like mixed valence state in Cu3O7/O(9-delta) network or structural distortion of the network. Although various pseudoternary chemical equilibrium phase diagrams of the Y(O)-Ba(O)-Cu(O) system now are available, no consensus is generally shown, however, this is partly due to lack of compatible definitions of the equilibrium conditions. Less information is available about the phase compatibilities in the appropriate quaternary phase diagram (including oxygen) and virtually no information exists about any pentenary phase diagrams (including one impurity). Unfortunately, complexity of such systems, stemming both from number of quaternary or pentenary compounds and from visualizing the five-component phase system, limits this presentation to more or less close surroundings of the YBa2Cu3O(9-delta) type phase in appropriate pseudoquaternary or pseudopseudoternary diagrams, involving Y-Ba-Cu and O, O-CO2, alkaline metals, Mg and alkaline earths, and Sc and most of the 3-d and 4-f elements. The systems were investigated by means of x ray diffraction, neutron diffraction and chemical analytical methods on samples prepared by sol-gel technique from citrates. The superconductivity was characterized by measuring the diamagnetic susceptibility by SQUID.

Karen, P.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Magnet Architectures and Active Radiation Shielding Study - SR2S Workshop

Analyze new coil configurations with maturing superconductor technology -Develop vehicle-level concept solutions and identify engineering challenges and risks -Shielding performance analysis Recent advances in superconducting magnet technology and manufacturing have opened the door for re-evaluating active shielding solutions as an alternative to mass prohibitive passive shielding.Publications on static magnetic field environments and its bio-effects were reviewed. Short-term exposure information is available suggesting long term exposure may be okay. Further research likely needed. center dotMagnetic field safety requirements exist for controlled work environments. The following effects have been noted with little noted adverse effects -Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects on ionized fluids (e.g. blood) creating an aortic voltage change -MHD interaction elevates blood pressure (BP) center dot5 Tesla equates to 5% BP elevation -Prosthetic devises and pacemakers are an issue (access limit of 5 gauss).

Westover, Shane↗

NASA NTRS1991

Chemical spray pyrolysis of Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O high-T(sub c) superconductors for high-field bitter magnets

The deposition of Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O thick films by spray pyrolyzing a Ba-Ca-Cu-O precursor film and diffusing thallium into the film to form the superconducting phase is examined. This approach was taken to reduce exposure to thallium and its health and safety hazards. The Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O system was selected because it has very attractive features which make it appealing to device and manufacturing engineering. Tl-Ba-Ca-Cu-O will accommodate a number of superconducting phases. This attribute makes it very forgiving to stoichiometric fluctuations in the bulk and film. It has excellent thermal and chemical stability, and appears to be relatively insensitive to chemical impurities. Oxygen is tightly bound into the systems, consequently there is no orthorhombic (conductor) to tetragonal (insulator) transition which would affect a component's lifetime. More significantly, the thallium based superconductors appear to have harder magnetic properties than the other high-Tc oxide ceramics. Estimates using magnetoresistance measurements indicate that at 77 K Tl2Ba2CaCu2O10 will have an upper critical field, H(sub c2) fo 26 Tesla for applied fields parallel to the c-axis and approximately 1000 Tesla for fields oriented in the a-b plane. Results to date have shown that superconducting films can be reproducibly deposited on 100 oriented MgO substrates. One film had a zero resistance temperature of 111.5 K. Furthermore, x ray diffraction analysis of the films showed preferential c-axis orientation parallel to the plane of the substrate. These results have now made it possible to consider the manufacture of a superconducting tape wire which can be configured into a topology useful for high-field magnet designs. The research which leads to the preparation of these films and plans for further development are reviewed.

Derochemont, L. Pierre↗