Superconducting cable transmits up to 17 MW transmission power and is armed up to 31,500 amp against short-circuits Hanover, April 2, 2009 cable manufacturer of Nexans and superconductor specialist Bruker HTS, Hanau, report the successful completion of the project of superconducting coated conductor cable\”(Super 3B A European Consortium has developed a 10 kV power cable on the basis of high-temperature superconductors (HTS) and tested within the framework of Super 3C. Last winter the project concluded with a laboratory investigation, of the 30 metre long, single phase cable including terminations and associated cryogenics was tested. Result: The system works perfectly and reached the specified 17 MVA transmission performance; In addition, it can withstand shorts of 31,500 amps with a second time. The cable is the first of its kind that has proven its practicality under these extreme failure conditions. Such high-performance cable of HTS can carry large currents much smaller sections as conventional copper wire and to enable the energy transfers in the distribution network in the future with lower losses. With the reduction of electrical losses, network-related CO2 emissions decrease also. The 5.2-million-euro project Super 3 C was launched in June 2004 and has been subsidized by the EU with 2.7 million euros during its 6th framework programme for research and technological development. Result is one of the first cable world where modern HTS tapes of second generation (2 G) as a current-carrying element.
These tapes contain a thin layer of the HTS, which conducts electricity at the operating temperature of about 200 C almost loss-free. Special hybrid head and new cable design Bruker HTS has developed the HTS copper hybrid head. The 2G-Hybridleiter combines the advantages of superconductors and copper and can be easily combined with traditional network components. Together, Bruker HTS and Nexans methods developed to use the hybrid conductor in the cable. For this purpose, produced and tested Bruker HTS nearly 4,000 meters 2G-Hybrid-Supraleiter.