Numerical evaluation of the deformation of REBCO pancake coil, considering winding tension, thermal stress, and screening-current-induced stress

In recent years, the applications of high-field REBa2CuOy (REBCO) coils have remarkably progressed towards NMR MRIs, accelerators, and other such devices. In a REBCO coil, the magnetic field due to the screening current is generated in the direction opposite to the field by the transport current, thus reducing the magnetic field, deteriorating the field homogeneity, and affecting the time stability of the magnetic field. Recently, the additional force and stress due to the screening current (referred to as screening-current-induced stress) has become a topic of concern. The screening current results in non-uniform current distributions in the REBCO tape. Therefore, the distribution of electromagnetic force in REBCO coils differs from that during the designing of the coil, assuming that the current flow in the tape is uniform. Thus, there is the possibility that the existence of screening current is a serious problem in the mechanical design of REBCO coils. In this study, we evaluate the electromagnetic force and stress due to the screening current by using the developed numerical simulation code for the electromagnetics and stress. We discuss the winding tension, thermal and electromagnetic stresses, and mechanical strength structure of the REBCO coil.

Automated summary

In recent years, there has been significant progress in the applications of high-field REBCO coils in various devices, but the additional force and stress induced by screening current have become a topic of concern. The non-uniform current distribution in REBCO tapes due to screening current affects the assumptions made during coil design, potentially leading to serious mechanical design problems.