Tailoring Superconductor and SOFC Structures for Power Applications

High temperature superconductors (HTS) and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) both offer the possibility for dramatic improvements in efficiency in power applications such as generation, transmission and use of electrical energy. However, production costs and energy losses prohibit widespread adoption of these technologies. This thesis investigates low-cost methods to tailor the structures of HTS wires and SOFCs to reduce these energy losses. Section I focusses on methods to produce filamentary HTS coated conductors that show reduced AC losses. This includes spark-discharge striation to pattern existing HTS tapes and inkjet printing of different filamentary architectures. The printed structures are directly deposited filaments and ‘inverse’ printed tracks where an initially deposited barrier material separates superconducting regions. Furthermore, the concept and first stages of a more complex ‘Rutherford’ cable architecture are presented. Additionally, Section I investigates how waste material produced during the manufacture of an alternative low-AC loss cable design, the Roebel cable, can be used to make trapped field magnets that produce a uniform magnetic field profile over a large area. This trapped field magnet work is extended to study self-supporting soldered stacks of HTS tape that demonstrate unprecedented magnetic field uniformity. Section II looks at how nanostructuring porous SOFC electrodes via solution infiltration of precursors can improve long-term stability and low temperature performance. Inkjet printing is utilised as a scalable, low-cost technique to infiltrate lab-scale and commercial samples. Anode infiltration via inkjet printing is demonstrated and methods to increase nanoparticle loading beyond ~1 wt% are presented. Symmetric cells with infiltrated cathodes are shown to have improved performance and stability during high temperature aging. Additionally, the sequence of solution infiltration is found to be important for samples dual-infiltrated with two different nanoparticle precursors.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Cambridge

Year dc:date.issued

2017

Author dc:creator

• Mitchell-Williams, Thomas Benjamin

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Glowacki, Bartek

• Superconductors
• Coated conductors
• Inkjet Printing
• SOFC
• Solid oxide fuel cells
• Energy materials
• High temperature superconductors
• YBCO
• REBCO
• AC loss
• Infiltration

Licence

• https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/9f018094-7fb7-418a-abaf-82c162abb1cf/download
• https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Language dc:language

en

Author Identifier

0000-0002-2177-6591

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/267811