Superconducting coil operating at temperatures above 15K for ADR instruments

The new high temperature superconducting (HTS) coil technology proposed for development in this program is vital for NASA to advance the capabilities of its ADR cooling systems that maintain important space-based instruments at milli Kelvin temperatures. It will provide unmatched benefits. This program will complete development of advanced ADR coils by applying our recently developed first-of-their-kind low loss HTS wires that meet all the requirements put out by NASA in topic S16.07 of the FOA for next generation HTS-based ADR coils, including low losses in ramped field to 4T, high, > 300 A/mm2 in-coil coil operating current densities at temperatures above 15K and fields to 4T, combined with very small cross-sections that enable the specified small 6 A to 8 A operating current. It was recently discovered that the highly preferred react-and-wind coil making approach can also now be applied to fabricate ADR coils with these low loss HTS wires where until then the more difficult wind-and-react approach seemed to be the only option. This program will now adapt long, >2.5 km length processes to make the drawn low loss HTS 2212 wire optimally suitable for a react-and wind ADR coil making approach. This wire will then be utilized to complete the development of fully functional, ADR coils that operate at temperatures above 15 K. By the end of the Phase II program a 22 mm - 40 mm bore x 50 – 100 m length ADR coil will be produced and validated to meet all the requirements put forth, as well as having all of its vital auxiliary features developed, such as terminations, potting, so that no additional significant development will be required before NASA can start to qualify and incorporate this coil type into their next generation ADR systems.