WHY SUPERCONDUCTING CABLES ?

Powerful, compact and light-weight

Superconducting cables can offer the advantages of lower loss, lighter weight, and more compact dimensions, as compared to conventional cables. In addition to the improvement of the energy efficiency of the utility grid, this can lead to easier and faster installation of the cable system, fewer joints, and reduced use of land.

The high performance of the superconducting materials leads to reduced materials use and lighter and more compact cable technology. In this way, energy and cost is saved in the whole chain of manufacturing, transport and installation.

 

Cool cables

Advantages relating to the internal cooling of these cables can be expected, such as reduced requirements on the quality of the soil as well as on the location of the cable. For example, the cable may intersect with heat-sources, such as central heating pipes and conventional cables, without reducing the power rating of the cable due to overheating of the electrical insulation.

From an environmental point of view the cable will not give rise to temperature increament in the surrounding soil.

 

 

 

 

City cables

Given limited space and safety issues in European urban environments, the introduction of power into the city cores is made to a large degree, and most economically, at the 30-50 kV level. One example is the Copenhagen Energy’s 36 kV/1.8 kA cable systems in central Copenhagen. These cables have a large electrical loss since the current is high. Here, HTS cables with a current rating of 2-10 kA and a medium voltage rating of 20-60 kV can have a total system advantage over conventional technology.

System modelling shows that HTS cables can replace conventional cables in meshed networks. Direct energy savings can be expected in stretches with high load, provided that some very stringent performance goals of the thermal insulation and the cooling machinery can be met. Energy savings up to a few percent of the produced power can become possible. For cables with a usage above approx. 4000 h/year, a loss reduction of 40 % is expected.

 

Removing bottlenecks

HTS cables can be used to upgrade the amperage rating of transmission lines without increasing size or energy loss. This can be used to remove bottlenecks in existing energy systems to favour the free trading of energy, and stabilise electricity and heating prices.

 

Submarine mud-cables

The crossing of areas of natural beauty increasingly requires underground cables instead of overhead lines, also at the HV and EHV level. However, in marine crossings, the bottom conditions can be difficult, with thick layers of marine mud that act as a thermal insulator around a conventional cable. This reduces the power rating of the conventional cables by 30-40 %. Here, the internal cooling and absence of thermal emissions combined with low loss makes the HTS cable a competitive alternative. In addition, one HTS cable can replace two conventional cables with the benefit of reduced excavation damage in sensitive areas and reduced cost.

 

 

Top of page

 

	why superconducting cables?
	substation connections
	retrofit of existing cables
	high load connections
	DC cables
	long term visions