There is an Open Access version for this licensed article that can be read free of charge and without license restrictions. The content of the Open Access version may differ from that of the licensed version.
Pricing information
Please choose your delivery country and your customer group
We designed a persistent current switch consisting of a Nb3Sn superconducting wire for a Superconducting Magneto-Hydro-Dynamic Propulsion Ship (MHDS). Nb3Sn has a Tc higher than NbTi, which is commonly used for the conventional persistent current switch, and thus is expected to show a higher stability against the disturbance. We therefore performed numerical simulations for the heat transfer in a 10 kA-class Nb3Sn persistent current switch by using a finite element method. The results of switching performance are presented based on the computer simulation for the temperature distribution during the heating and cooling cycle. We also present the estimated time for the transition from the superconducting to normal state (off-state) and vice versa (on-state).