Validation and Application of Sand Pile Modeling of Multiseeded HTS Bulk Superconductors

Sand pile and Bean models have already been applied to describe single grain HTS bulks. An extension to that approach was used to model multiseed bulks, needed for several practical applications as electric motors or flywheels with superconducting bearings. The use of genetic algorithms was then proposed to determine intra- and intergrain current densities, and application to two and three seeds samples using trapped flux experimental measurements was exemplified. However, this model assumed some simplifications, as equal properties in grain boundaries between neighboring grains. In this paper an extension to this methodology is proposed and evaluated by analyzing measurements performed in plans at different distances from surfaces of samples with three seeds. Discussion of its influence on a practical application is also explored.