High T/sub c/ wire design and power losses on cycling SMES devices

The present state of the art in high T/sub c/ superconductors is projected to the kilometer-long wires needed for a superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) device. It is concluded that silver-clad-bismuth-based superconductor is the only form which is likely to be available in the near future. This wire should have a cross-section of approximately 1 cm/sup 2/ and carry 10 kA in fields up to 10 T. For satisfactory performance it must be made in the form of twisted multifilaments rather than the flat tape form which is presently receiving the most attention. In addition, detailed measurements of J/sub c/ as a function of field and temperature of the wire form as well as thermal conductivity and heat capacity are required in order to properly calculate the stability limits of the wire.>