cable
technology

 

 

CABLE DESIGNS

Until very recently, there were two basic designs for superconducting cable: Room temperature dielectric (RTD) design and cryogen dielectric (CD) design. The two designs have different pros and cons as illustrated below.

In summer 2006, Southwire and nkt cables, with their partners, installed a new design in a demonstration project [Bixby] (www.supercables.com/Demonstration/demo_bixby.html) in Columbus, Ohio, to serve 8,600 residential, commercial and light industrial customers. This is called the Triax design. For details on each of these designs, clink on their links.

 

Room temperature dielectric (RTD) cables

Pros:

  • Proven dielectric - standard technology

  • Low thermal losses

  • Cheaper than CD design cables

Cons:

  • Stray field

  • Limited power/current

  • Minimum distance between phases needed with present tape technology

You can find further information under RTD design.

 

Cryogen dielectric (CD) cables

Pros:

  • No stray field

  • No current/power limit

  • Direct contact between phases possible

                                        => compact 3 phase cable

Cons:

  • 2 superconducting layers / higher cost

  • More complicated construction

  • High thermal loss


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HTS cables are
more powerful,
smaller and lighter

Triax
Cable designs
RTD design
3-phase design
Cooling
Standard and norms
Critical current
Losses
AC losses
Overcurrent