Electromagnetic Modeling of Superconductors with Commercial Software: Possibilities with Two Vector Potential-Based Formulations

Abstract

In recent years, the $H$ formulation of Maxwell's equation has become the de facto standard for simulating the time-dependent electromagnetic behavior of superconducting applications with commercial software. However, there are cases where other formulations are desirable, for example for modeling superconducting turns in electrical machines or situations where the superconductor is better described by the critical state than by a power-law resistivity. In order to accurately and efficiently handle those situations, here we consider two published approaches based on the magnetic vector potential: the $T$-$A$ formulation of Maxwell's equations (with power-law resistivity) and Campbell's implementation of the critical state model. In this contribution, we extend the $T$-$A$ formulation to thick conductors so that large coils with different coupling scenarios between the turns can be considered. We also revise Campbell's model and discuss it in terms of its ability to calculate AC losses: in particular, we investigate the dependence of the calculated AC losses on the frequency of the AC excitation and the possibility of using quick one-step (instead of full cycle) simulations to calculate the AC losses.