Measurements of AC losses in HTSC wires exposed to an alternating field using calorimetric methods

Calorimetric methods for AC loss measurement for short superconducting wires have been investigated. The design, operation and results obtained from an experimental calorimeter are described. With these methods the total loss of a short superconducting sample exposed to a 50 Hz alternating field, both perpendicular and axial, have been measured with an accuracy of microwatts per centimeter. The sample is a 6 centimeter long (Bi,Pb)SrCaCuO-2223 silver-sheathed multifilamentary wire prepared by powder-in-tube techniques. The hysteresis part of the loss may be obtained by taking the eddy current component of the silver sheath from the total loss and by neglecting the coupling loss in the silver matrices. It is shown that the hysteresis losses are dominant in this frequency and its values correspond to the theoretical approximation.