A method for decreasing transport ac losses in multifilamentary and multistrip superconductors

A new method is proposed for decreasing transport ac losses in multifilamentary superconductors by the decoupling of the filaments using a magnetic material in the form of thin layers surrounding the individual filaments. For a superconductor with an elliptical cross section, the magnetic material surrounding the filaments affects the local magnetic field distribution that both reduces the critical current of the filaments and induces the transport ac losses in the magnetic material. Even by taking into account any detrimental influences of the presence of the magnetic material around the filaments, the analysis of the experimental data supported by computer modelling confirmed that for a Bi2223 tape with 100 filaments individually covered by magnetic material, such as iron powder, the transport ac losses should be 65 times lower than for the same multifilamentary conductor without the magnetic coating on the filaments. With an increasing number of filaments, the ac loss decrease would be even larger.