Review of the AC loss computation for HTS using H formulation

This article presents a review of the finite-element method (FEM) model based on the H formulation of Maxwell's equations used to calculate AC losses in high-temperature superconductor (HTS) tapes, cables and windings for different applications. This model, which uses the components of the magnetic field as state variables, has been gaining a great popularity and has been in use in tens of research groups around the world. This contribution first reviews the equations on which the model is based and their implementation in FEM programs for different cases, such as 2D longitudinal and axis-symmetric geometries and 3D geometries. Modeling strategies to tackle large number of HTS tapes, such as multi-scale and homogenization methods, are also introduced. Then, the second part of the article reviews the applications for which the H formulation has been used to calculate AC losses, ranging from individual tapes to complex cables and large magnet windings. Afterwards, a section is dedicated to the discussion of the H formulation in terms of computational efficiency and easiness of implementation. Its pros and cons are listed. Finally, the last section draws the main conclusions.