Thermal Conductivity of Industrial Nb3Sn Wires Fabricated by Various Techniques

TL;DR

This study introduces a specialized experimental setup to measure the thermal conductivity of Nb3Sn superconducting wires produced by different techniques, emphasizing the importance of direct measurement for accurate thermal stability assessment.

Contribution

A new experimental method for measuring thermal conductivity of Nb3Sn wires across a wide temperature range and magnetic fields, applied to various fabrication techniques.

Findings

Thermal conductivity varies significantly with wire architecture.

Direct measurement is essential for accurate thermal stability estimation.

The setup operates from 3 to 330 K in magnetic fields up to 21 T.

Abstract

We have developed a new experimental setup specifically designed for measuring thermal conductivity on technical superconductors in the range of temperatures from 3 to 330 K in magnetic fields up to 21 T. Three Nb3Sn wires, produced by the powder in tube technique, the bronze route and the internal tin restacked rod process, respectively, have been investigated. We show that, due to the complexity of the architecture of these wires, direct measurement of thermal conductivity is required for a correct estimation of thermal stability in superconducting magnets.