In this study, we fabricated single grain YBCO bulk superconductors with control of the distance between the seed and the upper surface of the YBCO compacts. The magnetic levitation force of the YBa₂Cu₃O₇ superconducting bulk, which corresponds to the energy amount of the superconducting bulk, was measured to be 32.634 N at the center of the bulk where the seed was placed. Under field cooling conditions, a capture magnetic force of 2.17 kG was observed at the center of the bulk. The trapped magnetic force curve corresponding to the stability of the superconducting bulk means that the superconducting specimens were well grown in the form of single grains.

The electrical characteristics of single-crystal composite superconductors produced by a melting process were studied by neutron irradiation. In order to improve the current characteristics of the YBa₂Cu₃O_7-y superconductor, it is necessary to form an effective flux pinning center inside the superconductor. In this study, an increase in flux pinning was attempted through neutron irradiation onto YBa₂Cu₃O_7-y superconductors. The neutron irradiation was performed at 30 MeV for 500 sec, The electrical properties of the superconductors were measured in a magnetic field of 5 Tesla at 50 K using a magnetic properties measurement system (MPMS). After neutron irradiation, the critical current density of the YBa₂Cu₃O_7-y superconductor in a 1 Tesla magnetic field was 1×10⁵ A/㎠. Once neutrons were irradiated at 30 MeV and 10 μA for 500 sec, the critical current density was observed to increase significantly. When neutrons are irradiated to a superconductor, micro-defects are created in the superconductor, and they act as flux pinning centers that hold the magnetic field generated when an electric current flows.

Oxide YBCO bulk superconductors are manufactured using the melt process. Because seed crystal growth method utilizes a slow-spreading layer-by-layer reaction, a long-term heat treatment is required to manufacture a single-crystal specimen of several cm. In this study, the melt process method was applied to compensate for the shortcomings of the seed crystal growth method. The thickness of the upper and lower pellets of the YBCO bulk was molded to 40 mm, and YBCO superconductor was produced by heat treatment. The measurement results of capture magnetism was in line with the literature. This results in a relationship that the higher the growth of Y211 particle in the YBCO, the higher the superconducting properties. We analyzed the YBCO superconductor, focusing on the Y₂BaCuO₅ particle distribution.

Relatively pure YBCO was first synthesized by heating a mixture of metal carbonates at temperatures between 1,000 and 1,300 K, resulting in the reaction: 4BaCO₃＋Y₂(CO₃)₃＋6CuCO₃＋(1/2_-x)O₂ → 2YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x＋1/3CO₂. Modern syntheses of YBCO use the corresponding oxides and nitrates. The superconducting properties of YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x are sensitive to the value of x, i.e., its oxygen content. Only those materials with 0≤x≤0.65 are superconducting below Tc, and when x ~ 0.07, the material superconducts at the highest temperature, i.e., 95 K, or in the highest magnetic fields, i.e., 120 T and 250 T when B is perpendicular and parallel to the CuO₂ planes, respectively. In addition to being sensitive to the stoichiometry of oxygen, the properties of YBCO are influenced by the crystallization methods applied. YBCO is a crystalline material, and the best superconductive properties are obtained when crystal grain boundaries are aligned by careful control of annealing and quenching temperature rates. However, these alternative methods still require careful sintering to produce a quality product. New possibilities have arisen since the discovery of trifluoroacetic acid, a source of fluorine that prevents the formation of undesired barium carbonate (BaCO₃). This route lowers the temperature necessary to obtain the correct phase at around 700℃. This, together with the lack of dependence on vacuum, makes this method a very promising way to achieve a scalable YBCO bulk.

The Ag thin film of YBCO (yttrium barium copper oxide) CC (coated conductor) protect the YBCO layer and, at the same time, affects the electrical characteristics of the YBCO CC. Therefore, YBCO CC with the commercialization of the Ag thin film layers makes it easy to establish a process, it can lead to a variety of characteristic changes in YBCO CC. In this paper, plasma surface treatment was carried out to facilitate the deposition of the Ag thin film and the deposition process of YBCO CC. Surface roughness from the test results was increased as the time of the plasma surface treatment increased from 5 to 20 minutes. On the other hand, the surface roughness was decreased for the time of the plasma surface treatment over 20 minutes. Furthermore, after depositing, the increasing of deposit amount and reduced lifting phenomenon showed a similar tendency with the rise time of surface roughness.

The second-generation HTS wire its YBCO coated conductor is widely used in the superconducting power apparatus. The YBCO coated conductor uses the normal-superconducting junction to increase the transport capacity of superconducting power apparatus when it is applied. The normal-superconducting junction can be a cause of reducing the stability of the superconducting power apparatus when a fault current is applied. Thus, in this study we have conducted the effect analysing normal-superconducting junction for the fault current using transport current and quench resistance. From the experimental results when a fault current is applied, the effect on the normal-superconducting junction is reduced the larger the amplitude of the fault current and is helpful to maintain the thermal stability of the HTS wire.

YBCO thin films on SiO2/Si substrate were fabricated by spin-coaing of an alkoxide-derived precursor and heat treatment. The structural and electrical properties of the YBCO films were investigated as functions of annealing temperature at 600∼800℃. Although YBCO single phase was not synthesized, dense films of YBCO matrix phase and minor second phases have been successfully fabricated at the annealing temperatures of 650∼800℃. Thickness and temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of YBCO thin films with annealing temperature of 750℃ were 0.31 μm and -2.92%/℃,respectively.

The ongoing Superconducting Fault Current Limiter(SFCL) development mainly has focused on the application of commercializaton and power system through combining with normal-conducting device, moving away from current-limiting method, which is solely dependant on the existing superconductor. Compared to the structural development above, on the other hand, the research on applying superconducting current-limiting element to SFCL, the heart of SFCL, still has a lot left to do, apart form traditional resistive type SFCL. In this study, we looked into the current limiting characteristic of SFCL using core and coil. YBCO coated conductor with stainless steel stabilizer layer was verified by the excellent of current-limiting element of the resistive type SFCL that has a high Jc and index as well as being superior in mechanical property. Also, we study temperature characteristics and resistance characteristics, max voltage, response time and current-limiting ability that can be an indicator as current-limiting element while applying to superconducting current-limiting element caused by variation of winding direction, winding ratio of SFCL using core and coil.

The yttrium-barium-copper-oxide (YBCO) coated conductor, which supplement the fault of the existing superconducting current-limit materials YBCO thin film, bismuth-strontium-calcium-copper-oxide(BSCCO) wire and bulk, has been improved its mechanical weakness and has high index; hence, after quench YBCO coated conductor could limit the fault current effectively because of fast resistance occurrence speed. Furthermore, it has wide applicable area as an current limit material because it shows different resistance occurrence tendency by the thickness and kind of stabilization material sputtered on the superconducting layer. Therefore, many researchers are carrying out the study of application of YBCO coated conductor to superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) for making high quality current limit element, based on resistance type. On the other hand, the study for other type except resistance type has been rarely conducted for the application of YBCO coated conductor to SFCL as an current limit element. Consequently, in this study, YBCO coated conductor with different stabilization layer Cu and Stainless steel, is applied to SFCL using iron core and coil, and examine the many index points as an current limit element, such as current limit characteristic, the tendency of resistance occurrence, response time, the temperature trend for stability.

The improved flux-lock type superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) is composed of a series transformer and superconducting unit of the yttrium-barium-copper-oxide (YBCO) coated conductor. In this paper, we investigated current limiting characteristics through winding direction of coil 2 and variable number of coil 1 and coil 2 in improved flux-lock type SFCL. The better fault current characteristics and the burden of YBCO coated conductor can be confirmed from the experimental result in the higher turn ratio of coil 1 and coil 2 in the additive conditions. In case of subtractive condition, we can confirm a similar result in the same case of experimental conditions. but the burden of YBCO coated conductor has been increased from an increase in winding numbers of coil 2.