Self-field AC losses and critical currents in multi-tube Ag-Bi-2223 conductors

The purpose pf this work was to investigate the influence of different technological treatments of silver sheathed Bi-2223 tapes on the critical current density and the AC transport losses. The tapes were produced using the 'tube-in-tube' technique, by including a silver rod in the centre of the superconducting powder during packing of the silver tube. The aim of the process is to increase the silver to superconductor surface area and thus also the alignment at the centre of the conductor ceramic core. AC transport losses were measured by means of an electrical method using sinusoidally varying currents in the frequency range 30-180 Hz. in this range the power losses are hysteretic. The measured variation in losses from those predicted by a critical state model is attributed to the complex geometry of superconducting regions existing in these tapes.