Numerical simulations on the AC loss of REBCO stacks under rotating magnetic fields

AC loss presents a significant challenge for high-temperature superconducting (HTS) rotating machines. To date, the behaviour of total AC loss (Q_tol) (with current) and magnetization loss (Q_m) (without current) in a single HTS tape under rotating magnetic fields (RF) have been explored. However, a research gap remains in understanding how these findings translate to the more complex HTS windings of rotating machines. Further exploration is needed to understand the loss behaviour of more complex HTS structures, such as HTS stacks. In this work, Q_tol and Q_m, in the HTS stacks under RF and a perpendicular AC standing wave magnetic field are numerically investigated. Two different RF models are considered: one is the Uni-RF model, characterized by a uniform field with equal field amplitudes and phases at each position, and the other is a non-uniform field created by a rotating Halbach array, referred to as the Hal-RF model. The dependence of AC loss on parameters such as the number of tapes in the stacks, tape width (2a), and the inclination angle (α) of tapes, which refers to the angle between the normal direction of the stack and the vertical direction, have been explored. The number of tapes in the stacks ranges from 1 to 16, α ranges from 0° to 90°, and the tape width includes 4 mm and 40 mm. Additionally, different rotating field directions are also considered. Interestingly, the analytical values from Brandt and Indenbom equation for Q_m of a superconducting strip (BI-strip) are close to Q_m results of the stacks under the standing wave at high fields, while they are over twice as high as those in the Hal-RF model at 1 T. This suggests the BI-strip equation is not reliable for predicting Q_m under RF at high fields. We also show in the Hal-RF model that different rotation directions of the field lead to varying Q_m and Q_tol when asymmetric J_c (B, θ) data are applied. Moreover, it has been observed that the inclination angle has no impact on Q_m under uniform RF while significantly impacts both Q_m and Q_tol in the Hal-RF model.