Thermal Conductivity of Industrial Nb3Sn Wires Fabricated by Various Techniques

Abstract

We have developed a new experimental setup specifically designed for measuring thermal conductivity on technical superconductors in the range of temperatures from 3 to 330 K in magnetic fields up to 21 T. Three Nb3Sn wires, produced by the powder in tube technique, the bronze route and the internal tin restacked rod process, respectively, have been investigated. We show that, due to the complexity of the architecture of these wires, direct measurement of thermal conductivity is required for a correct estimation of thermal stability in superconducting magnets.