REBCO High Temperature Superconductors

The magnets for STEP will be required to carry very large currents, in high magnetic fields, and with losses kept to a minimum. The most promising materials for this application are REBCO-based high temperature superconductors. The use of these materials allows for designs with much lower Joule heating losses than resistive materials, and REBCO operates at higher temperatures and in higher magnetic fields than low temperature superconductors such as Nb3Sn. The purpose of this RFI is to enable UKAEA to: Understand the performance of REBCO-based high temperature superconductors, Understand the supply chain capacity to produce these conductors at tokamak-relevant scales, This information will directly impact on future tender opportunities relating to this area