A Comprehensive Investigation on the Accuracy of Electrical Measurement of Transport Current AC Losses in HTS Tapes

The measurement of transport current ac losses in high-temperature superconductor tapes with the electric method has been extensively discussed in the literature. It is well known that the configuration of the circuit used to acquire the voltage signal can affect the measured losses, potentially leading to inaccurate results. To reduce this undesired effect, the rectangular circuit arrangement, which is widely adopted, involves twisting the pair of voltage taps at a given distance from the tape middle axis. However, the explanations reported in the literature to identify the correct distance are not fully exhaustive, and an alternative interpretation is described here. Moreover, given that the conventional voltage taps arrangement creates a significant circuit area to which electromagnetic noise can be linked, an alternative configuration is proposed, aiming to reduce the linked flux. This article presents a theoretical analysis to quantify the impact of the measurement circuit configuration on the losses. To ensure clarity, the model equations involved are derived step by step. The numerical results are applied to a thorough investigation on the accuracy of the ac losses measured on a sample tape, at different frequencies and current amplitudes. Both the conventional and the alternative arrangements are studied, varying their main geometrical parameters, at the same operating conditions. The correction terms are then applied to the measurement results, highlighting the advantages and drawbacks of the different configurations.