Towards electrical applications of high T/sub c/ superconductors

High T/sub c/ superconductors (HTSs) have been developed since 1986. The successfully produced HTSs, especially the Ag clad Bi-based HTS wire, with long length, high critical current density and mechanical flexibility, has demonstrated a potential to be operated at 77 K liquid nitrogen temperature for some electrical applications. This paper introduces studies on the HTSs with regard to their electrical applications developed in Australia. The Ag clad (Bi, Pb)/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 10+x/ HTS wires and YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ bulk materials are introduced with respect to their use for various electrical applications. Some applications introduced include a HTS coil for a winding or a magnet, an electrical fault current limiter, an electronic high voltage generator device, high current leads, and a HTS levitator.