Cooling Stability Test of MgB₂ Wire Immersed in Liquid Hydrogen under External Magnetic Field

Abstract

Liquid hydrogen (LH₂), which has large latent heat, low viscosity coefficient, is expected to be a candidate for a cryogen for superconducting wires, not only MgB₂ but also other HTC superconductors. LH₂ cooled superconducting wires are expected to have excellent electro-magnetic characteristics, which is necessary to be clear for cooling stability design of LH₂ cooled superconducting device, however, due to handling difficulties of LH₂, there are only few papers on the properties of LH₂ cooled superconductors, especially under external magnetic field. We designed and made an experimental setup which can energize superconducting wires immersed in LH₂ with the current of up to 500A under the condition of external magnetic field up to 7 T and pressure up to 1.5 MPa. In order to confirm experimental method and safety operation of the setup, over current tests were carried out using MgB₂ superconducting wires under various external magnetic field conditions. Critical current of the test wire at the temperature 21, 24, 27, 29 K under external magnetic fields up to 1.2 T was successfully measured. The resistance of the wire also was measured, while the transport current exceeded the critical current of the wire.