Analysis of Current Distribution in a Large Superconductor

An imbalanced current distribution is often observed in cable-in-conduit (CIC) superconductors, which are composed of multistaged, triplet type sub-cables, and deteriorates the performance of the coils. Therefore, it is very important to analyze the current distribution in a superconductor and find out methods to obtain a homogeneous current distribution in the conductor. We apply a magnetic flux conservation in a loop contoured by electric center lines of filaments in two arbitrary strands located on adjacent layers in a coaxial multilayer superconductor, and then analyze the current distribution in the conductor. A generalized formula governing the current distribution can be described as explicit functions of the superconductor construction parameters, such as twist pitch, twist direction and radius of each layer. It is shown that we can obtain a homogeneous current distribution using this fundamental formula, which is a function of the twist pitches of layers. Moreover, it is demonstrated that we can control current distribution in the coaxial superconductor.