Production of High Performance BSCCO-2223 Tapes Using Hydrostatic Pressure

65 Production of High Performance BSCCO-2223 Tapes Using Hydrostatic Pressure--American Superconductor Corporation, Two Technology Drive, Westborough, MA 01581-1727; (508) 836-4200 Dr. Lawrence J. Masur, Principal Investigator Mr. Ramesh Ratan, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-97ER82322 Amount: $75,000 The discovery of high temperature superconductivity (HTS) in the late 1980's led to a new class of ceramic materials that are able to carry large amounts of electrical currents flowing without resistance at temperatures common in industrial refrigeration systems. Tremendous opportunities are envisioned for more efficient electrical power plants, higher capacity power cables, environmentally attractive transformers and more powerful motors. Economic success of this technology can be realized if manufacturing costs are lowered. This project is to establish the feasibility of an economical, long length process for manufacturing bismuth-2223 (Bi-2223) wires regarded as the best material for achieving near-term commercially successful HTS products. A manufacturing process called hydrostatic pressing is believed to offer performance and cost advantages over conventional processing and will significantly reduce the Bi-2223 cost/performance metric. The overall objective of this project is to develop, scale-up, and qualify a hydrostatic pressure process for continuous processing of up to 1 kilometer lengths of Bi-2223 tapes. The Phase I project will employ existing in-house hydrostatic pressure equipment to evaluate the operating conditions, pressure fluids, and die designs that yield the greatest performance benefit relative to conventional processing. If successfully scaled up, this process will deliver Bi-2223 wire at a cost that will be economically attractive. Commercial Application and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The proposed work would lead to a cost-effective manufacturing process for BSCCO-2223 HTS wires. The fabrication of cost-effective HTS wires would allow commercially viable subsystems, enabling economical production of HTS components for power generation, power transmission, and power end-user electric motor markets.