Monel Contribution to AC Losses in MgB2 Wires in Frequencies Up To 18 kHz

AC losses for a wide range of ac amplitudes and frequencies have been studied in magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconducting wire with 36 filaments and Monel sheath at different temperatures and dc current levels. The results show a strong nonlinear frequency dependence below 1 kHz, which crosses over to a more moderate linear behavior at frequencies up to 18 kHz. Surprisingly, the introduction of dc current causes a significant reduction in the ac losses. Finite element simulations yield ac losses consistent with that observed experimentally. The simulations show that the magnetic Monel sheath is a dominant source for ac losses in zero dc current and that nonzero dc current saturates the magnetization, thus reducing the ac losses.