Limitations for the trapped field in large grain YBCO superconductors

The actual limitations for the trapped field in YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) monoliths are discussed. The influence of the sample geometry and of the critical current density on the trapped field is investigated by numerical calculations. The field dependence of the critical current density strongly influences the trapped field. A nonlinear relationship between the sample size, the critical current density and the resulting trapped field is derived. The maximum achievable trapped field in YBCO at 77 K is found to be around 2.5 T. This limit is obtained for reasonable geometries and high but realistic critical current densities. Such high fields have not been reached experimentally so far, due to non-optimized flux pinning and material inhomogeneities. These inhomogeneities can be directly assessed by the magnetoscan technique, and their influence is discussed. Significant differences between the a- and the c-growth sectors were found. Limitations due to cracks and non-superconducting inclusions (e.g. 211 particles) are estimated and found to be candidates for variations of Jc on a millimetre length scale, as observed in experiments.