Numerical simulations of electromagnetic behavior and AC loss in rectangular bulk superconductor with an elliptical flaw under AC magnetic fields

This paper presents a finite element model based on the H-formulation to solve the electromagnetic behavior and AC loss in rectangular bulk superconductor with an elliptical flaw in AC external field condition. Both the interior flaw and the edge flaw are considered. A modified E-J power law which is valid for an arbitrary current density range is adopted in order to predict the strong local enhancement of the current density in the vicinity of the flaw tip. The results for the usual E-J power law are calculated for comparison as well. The simulation results show that the existence of the flaw significantly blocks the flow of the induced current and forces the current to redistribute around it. Meanwhile, the strong local enhancement of the current density is observed in the vicinity of the flaw tip. Furthermore, the influences of the size and position of the flaw on the local enhancement of the current density in the vicinity of the flaw tip are investigated. In addition, it is found that the influence of the flaw on the AC loss of the sample is slight for both cases of the interior flaw and the edge flaw. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.