Performance of Compact Wind-and-React MgB2 Solenoid Coil Made With Continuously Produced Cable

MgB2 superconducting wires hold the advantage over traditional NbTi wires of higher temperature operation, at lower cost than high temperature superconductors, and allowing the use of existing winding techniques. The adoption of MgB2 wires into large-scale applications requires a robust production process yielding long length wires with consistent performance. Bekaert and Epoch wires have developed a scalable powder-in-tube technique capable of producing MgB2 wires in km lengths. Demonstrating practical current density in a solenoid coil is an essential step towards larger demonstration assemblies and coils, in wind-and-react or react-and-wind configurations. Here, we report on the performance of a compact wind-and-react solenoid coil wound from Bekaert/Epoch wires 1+6 MgB2 cable, made up of unstabilized, monocore 0.4 mm MgB2 wires. The coil was tested in a He-vapor cooled VTI inside a 10 T Cryofree magnet, between 10 K and 20 K, and at up to 3 T background field. The coil reached 384 A at 15 K in zero external field, generating a self-field of 1.88 T without quench. The coil was quenched multiple times without damage.