An effort toward development of MgB2-based current leads with 2000-A rating

Abstract

In this paper, we report an effort toward the development of general-purpose conduction-cooled current leads based on MgB2, which can carry 2000 A at 25 K. The leads have an overall length of 40 cm and a diameter of 5.8 mm, with Cu end caps with a length of 5 cm each for anchoring them to the superconducting system and the current source. Fe, Cu, and Ni are used as the barrier, the stabilizer, and the outer sheath materials, respectively. The critical parameters of the current leads, such as rated current Ic, thermal cycling stability, and heat leak, were tested and evaluated using a cryocooler-integrated cryostat test facility.