Effects of Formvar coating and copper-nickel outer sheath on the ac losses of multi-strand subsize cables

Ac losses of two subcables, one with Formvar coating on the strands of the BNL 12-ml NbTi/Cu/CuNi conductor and another without the coating, were measured using the ANL Subcable Test Facility. The results indicate that couplings among the strands with and without the Formvar coating were quite weak. Weak coupling of the bare strands is due to the high resistance of the copper-nickel outer sheath. In the regime of B(dot) = 0 approx. 1.2 T/s and B = 0 approx. 4 T, the magnetic diffusion time constant was (3.8 - 5.7) x 10 to the -3/sec.