National Grid (United States)
Publishes on Superconducting Materials and Applications, Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism, Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies. 29 papers and 3.5k citations.
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Professor Tinkham writes with clarity, emphasizing the physical ideas underlying the theoretical approaches to superconductivity which form the basis of this excellent book. By avoiding certain techniques, such as the use of Green functions, and by analysing many practical situations, he has ensured that the text is accessible to graduate experimentalists and theoreticians alike.
Large superconducting coils, with stored energies from 108J upwards, must be stable and have a predictable performance. This is achieved by combining the superconductor with a good ordinary conductor (substrate) to form a composite and by providing cooling throughout the winding. In addition, large superconducting coils must be protected against overheating and voltage breakdown which might be caused by some failure, notably of the cooling system. We show that the use of an external resistor with a switch is a suitable method of protection and is preferable to the use of a secondary winding. A composite conductor is again the solution, and we show how to determine the minimum quantity of substrate which will satisfy the requirements both of stabilisation and of protection. We conclude that such large superconducting coils can be made stable and be protected.