A Nickel Coating Removal Process for ITER Superconducting Cables

A new method is developed for removing the nickel coating on ITER superconducting cables by mechanical polishing.The obvious advantage of the mechanical method,which uses a nylon brush,is that there is no chemical residual left in the cable,which would otherwise result in passive effects on the joint resistance.The coating resistance test results of this newly developed method are compared with those of the two other methods that can meet the requirements of ITER.An automatic polishing machine is designed and manufactured for the procedure to provide quality under precise control.This new technique can replace the conventional manual method due to its improved efficiency.

China’s participation in the international RRT for I_(c) measurement of superconducting cables organized by IEC/TC90

Currently,IEC/TC90 is working on standardizing the method for measuring critical current(Ic)in superconducting cables.At the end of 2020,an international round robin test(RRT)was organized,in which five Chinese institutions participated,and four accomplished the test.The electric-field versus current(E-I)curves obtained by each institution are highly repeatable.Those obtained by different institutions are nearly identical after appropriate curve averaging,indicating high reproducibility,except the last participant's inner core curves.The discrepancy was later determined to be the result of sample cable damage.After excluding highly deviated data,it is determined that the maximum relative standard uncertainty in I_(c) is 0.7%,and the maximum relative standard uncertainty in n-value is 12.8%.The I_(c)values are comparable to Japan's domestic RRT results,but the n-values are significantly different.The test results support the DC four-terminal method as a recommended test method,with a target relative uncertainty of less than 2%for the Ic value.

Numerical simulation of the mechanical behavior of superconducting tape in conductor on round core cable using the cohesive zone model

Cables composed of rare-earth barium copper oxide(REBCO)tapes have been extensively used in various superconducting devices.In recent years,conductor on round core(CORC)cable has drawn the attention of researchers with its outstanding current-carrying capacity and mechanical properties.The REBCO tapes are wound spirally on the surface of CORC cable.Under extreme loadings,the REBCO tapes with layered composite structures are vulnerable,which can lead to degradation of critical current and even quenching of superconducting devices.In this paper,we simulate the deformation of CORC cable under external loads,and analyze the damage inside the tape with the cohesive zone model(CZM).Firstly,the fabrication and cabling of CORC are simulated,and the stresses and strains generated in the tape are extracted as the initial condition of the next step.Then,the tension and bending loads are applied to CORC cable,and the damage distribution inside the tape is presented.In addition,the effects of some parameters on the damage are discussed during the bending simulations.

Analysis of the Superconducting Cable Transposition in Low Resistance CICC Joint

In an integrated structure low resistance CICC joint, current is conducted by outer cable strands coming into touch with the conductive Cu sole. So it is an important condition for satisfying joint performance that each strand of the cable inside the joint is able to come to the outermost by transposition. This paper presents analysis, calculation and figures for the strand transposition. According to the twist procedures of the superconducting cable, the author computed the actual pitch of each stage cable, consecutively computed the projection of each stage cable on the axis of the cable (z axis) and the corresponding twist angle as the z coordinate changes, which is then drawn by AutoCAD. From the results shown in the figures, the minimal cable length, which enables each strand to transpose almost equally to the outermost of the cable in such a length, call be determined as the optimal joint length.

Live-Grid Operation and Maintenance of the 35 kV/121 MVA Superconducting Cable System

A 33.5 m, 35 kV/121 MVA, three-phase, warm dielectric HTS power cable system was successfully installed and activated in China Southern Power Grid at the Puji substation in Kunming on April 19th of 2004, supplying electricity to four industrial customers （including two metallurgical refineries） and a residential population of about 100000. In this paper, we give an update on the operation and maintenance status of the system and comments on reliability issues. We conclude that the superconducting cable system is currently quite robust and feasible for particular utility applications, and it will be improved by advancement in cryogenic equipment and system technology.

Structural Parameter Optimization of Multilayer Conductors in HTS Cable

In this paper, the design optimization of the structural parameters of multilayer conductors in high temperature superconducting （HTS） cable is reviewed. Various optimization methods, such as the particle swarm optimization （PSO）, the genetic algorithm （GA）, and a robust optimization method based on design for six sigma （DFSS）, have been applied to realize uniform current distribution among the multilayer HTS conductors. The continuous and discrete variables, such as the winding angle, radius, and winding direction of each layer, are chosen as the design parameters. Under the constraints of the mechanical properties and critical current, PSO is proven to be a more powerful tool than GA for structural parameter optimization, and DFSS can not only achieve a uniform current distribution, but also improve significantly the reliability and robustness of the HTS cable quality.

Introduction of 35-kV kilometer-scale high-temperature superconducting cable demonstration project in Shanghai

In December 2021,the 35-kV kilometer-level high-temperature superconducting(HTS)demonstration cable was officially connected to the grid in Xuhui District,Shanghai,China.A three-in-one HTS cable with a rated current of 2.2 kA,which replaces four-parallel lines XLPE cables,has been used in this project.This cable powers one of the busiest districts of Shanghai and serves to demonstrate and study the stability and reliability of a superconducting cable in the municipal power system.This project officially started in February 2019,and the type test of the prototype cable system was completed in November 2019.The commissioning test will be completed in November 2021.This paper introduces the main operating parameters,relevant research studies,and tests of this project.