Current transfer and electrical behavior of MgB2/Ta/Cu superconducting wire

Current transport phenomenon and electrical behavior are studied for superconducting wire having copper (Cu) as outer metallic sheath, tantalum (Ta) as barrier/interface and MgB2 as a superconducting core. Current transfer length (CTL) is an important parameter involved to investigate the stability and performance of superconducting wires. Numerical estimation of CTL and electric field on the outer metallic surface of the superconducting wire is performed. The effects of thickness variations in the outer metallic-sheath, barrier/interface and the superconducting core on CTL are studied. Least CTL value (1.14 mm) of the superconducting wire (MgB2/Ta/Cu) is estimated for thin barrier/interface (50/02/48) combination while maximum CTL value (5.59 mm) is for thick outer metallic sheath i.e. superconducting wire with (20/20/60) geometrical combination. Hence, the wires with MgB2/Ta/Cu combination are relatively best combination for MgB2-based superconducting wire fabrications. Furthermore, this computational method can be used to study current- transfer properties of other possible superconducting wires for technological applications.