American Superconductor Breaks Record with New HTS Wire

As reported by PhysicsWeb, American Superconductor claims to have 'sent commercial levels of electric current down long (100 metre) lengths of second generation high-temperature superconducting [HTS] wire for the first time. ... First-generation HTS wires -- made from bismuth, strontium, calcium copper oxide (BSCCO) -- have been on the market for some time and can carry up to 100 times the current in standard copper wire of the same size.' Unfortunately, these wires 'cost more than 100 times as much to make,' and hence they have not been very popular.

The second generation of wires is based upon 'yttrium, barium copper and oxygen (YBCO) -- is cheaper to manufacture and retains its superconducting abilities better under magnetic fields than first-generation wire.' Unfortunately, YBCO is much more difficult to work with because of how it aligns on the substrate. American Superconductor overcame this problem by depositing YBCO on nickel, which favorably aligns the superconducting grains. 'The firms says its wires can carry a current of up to 140 Amperes when cooled with liquid nitrogen -- about 150 times as much as a standard copper wire of the same dimension' and giving just one wire enough capacity to 'serve the needs of approximately 1000 homes.' (See pp. vi-vii of this report for more on superconductor generations.)

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