超导电力装置失超检测的基础研究

超导电力装置的失超会影响超导电力设备的运行和安全，是超导电力设备技术实用化有待深入研究的一个重要问题。对国内外通用的超导装置失超检测方法进行了分析，并根据电力系统中超导装置失超检测的特点，对高温超导线材在不同幅值的动态电流作用下的失超特性进行了试验研究，通过对试验数据的分析，对高温超导线材的失超特性有了较精细的理解，并在此基础上提出了超导电力装置失超先兆检测及其失超保护设计的新概念。     

Quench detection method without a central voltage tap by calculating active power

In this paper, we present an electric quench detection method without a central voltage tap which may cause the short-circuit of the lead-wires from the voltage taps in the quench detection of a large AC superconducting coil. In this method, an inductive voltage detection coil is used instead of the central voltage tap. The inductive voltage detection coil is electrically insulated from a superconducting coil and therefore the lead-wires do not break down. Through the quench detection tests for a Bi-2223/Ag HTS coil, we show the feasibility of the proposed method for detecting the quench of the large AC superconducting coil.     

Characteristics of critical current of superconducting solenoid wound with the stacked tape

The high-T_c superconducting (HTS) magnet is an important element for developing HTS power equipments such as the dc reactor of the inductive type superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL). In order to use the HTS magnet for the large-scale power system, its critical current needs to be high enough. Generally, the double pancake HTS magnet has the severe decrease in the critical current because of magnetic field perpendicular to the tape surface. To fabricate a high critical current magnet, we wound a solenoid with the stacked tape. In this paper, the characteristics of the critical current of the HTS solenoid wound with the stacked tape were investigated. The results of this research can be used as the background data for the design of the large-scale HTS magnet.     

Heat conduction and thermal stabilization in YBCO tape

Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) coated conductors are widely used in the conduction-cooled superconducting magnets with rapid development in refrigeration technologies at present. ‘Quench’ is a state that refers to the irreversible and uncontrolled superconductor to resistive transitions in the superconductor. The propagation of ‘quench’ or ‘normal zone’ has different characteristics in these high temperature superconductors (HTS) compared to low temperature superconductors. The superconductor to normal index, known as ‘n’ is much flatter in HTS. The hot spot emerging in local region due to quench and non-uniform critical current may cause permanent damage to whole HTS tape and hence the magnet winding pack. Thus it is necessary to determine the temperature profile along the length of HTS tape under a given energy (joule heating) such that propagation of the hot spot developed locally can be prevented early. In this study, a one dimensional, time dependent heat diffusion equation with appropriate boundary conditions are used to describe the consequences of the normal zone propagation resulting in the temperature diffusion in a HTS tape. The results demonstrate the necessity of adequate cooling of the edges of the flat HTS tapes to prevent irreversible normal zone transitions.     

Finite element analysis of the localised thermal quench of an HTS tape

In this work, we perform a finite element method (FEM) analysis of the localised thermal quench of a high temperature superconducting (HTS) tape. One 3D thermo-electric coupling FEM model, which is constructed to address the actual development of the localised thermal quench occurred in the HTS tape, has been proposed. One quench experiment is performed to validate this model. It is shown that the mode can quantitatively reflect the dynamic and static quench characteristics when comparing the results of the experiment with the model. The FEM model generates an estimate of the location of the highest temperature and visualisation of the quench dynamics.     

Aging characteristics of cryogenic insulator for development of HTS transformer

In the response to the demand for electrical energy, much effort aimed to develop and commercialize high temperature superconducting (HTS) power equipments has been made around the world. Especially, HTS transformer is one of the most promising devices. For the development of HTS transformer, the cryogenic insulation technology should be established. In this paper V−t characteristics of polyimide (Kapton) tape and GFRP used as turn-to-turn and structural insulations, respectively were studied. Moreover, breakdown hole site of GFRP after breakdown was also discussed. The experimental results show that the time to breakdown is conditioned on applied electric stress and the lifetime indices n of Kapton tape decrease slightly as the number of tape increases while the lifetime indices n of GFRP decrease strongly with increasing thickness. Furthermore, the breakdown holes of GFRP were not at the contact point, at which the electric field is maximum value, between sphere electrode and GFRP sample and its location depends on applied voltage as well as sphere diameter.     

Quench detection system for twin coils HTS SMES

The quench detection and protection system is a critical element in superconducting magnets. After a short summary of the quench detection and protection issues in HTS magnets, an original detection system is presented. The main feature of this system is an active protection of the detection electronics during the discharges, making it possible to use standard electronics even if the discharge voltage is very high. The design of the detection system is therefore easier and it can be made very sensitive. An implementation example is presented for a twin coil HTS SMES prototype, showing the improvements when compared to classical detection systems during operation.     

Numerical analysis of propagation of thermal disturbances in brass-stabilized REBCO tapes

An extensive characterization of commercially available High-Temperature Superconducting (HTS) REBCO tapes has been recently performed at KIT. The main thermo-physical properties of the tapes have been measured, and heat slug and quench propagation have been investigated in vacuum at LN₂ temperature, using a resistive heater as driver and recording the voltage and temperature evolution after the pulse at several locations along the tapes.In this paper, we present a study of thermal disturbance propagation in a HTS tape with brass stabilizer. The experimental data are analyzed first, to identify the phenomena that influence heat propagation in the tape, and namely the heat loss to the sample holder and the non-ideal efficiency of the resistive heater. A numerical tool is then developed, which solves the 1D transient heat conduction equation in each layer of the tape and accounts for the thermal coupling between layers. The heat loss to the sample holder and the non-ideal efficiency of the resistive heater are taken into account in the model.A first validation of the thermal part of the model against an extended database of heat slug propagation tests is then performed: the comparison between simulation and experiment confirms the very good capability of the model to reproduce the measured temperature evolution. Finally, the results of the simulations of quench propagation are compared with experimental data, showing the capability of the model to reproduce the experiment, within the uncertainty in the input parameters.     

Study on cross section of high temperature superconducting coil

It is in particular of importance for HTS coils to secure a larger central magnetic field and/or a large stored energy with shorter length of HTS tapes. The critical current of an HTS tape depends on both the flux density and the flux angle against tapes. From this point, the performance improvement of HTS coils is taken into account with an analytical model. The minimum volume coil derived from the Fabry Factor constant curve is taken concerning the original coil shape, which is often employed in low temperature superconducting coils. The coil critical current was analyzed in consideration of the anisotropic properties of the tape.The electric field of HTS tapes in the coil was calculated at the coil critical current and the high electric field portion were cut out. The optimal coil cross section is obtained by iterating this calculation process. As a result, the critical current and the stored energy density of the coil were improved. The stored energy density increased about 17% and the central magnetic field was almost kept constant regardless of 19% reduction of HTS tapes, as compared with the original coil with the rectangular cross section.     

Experimental results of tri-axial HTS cable

Recently, a tri-axial cable composed of three concentric phases has been intensively developed, because it has advantages such as reduced high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape, small leakage field and small heat loss as compared to three single-phase cables. However, there is an inherent imbalance in the three-phase currents in tri-axial cables due to the differences in the radii of the three-phase current layers. The imbalance of the currents causes additional loss and a large leakage field in the cable, and deteriorates the electric power quality. We have already proposed that it is possible to obtain a balanced three-phase distribution by adjusting all of the twist pitches. In order to verify the theory, we designed and fabricated a 1-m-long tri-axial HTS cable and carried out the cable test. The balanced three-phase voltages of the cable were measured by supplying an AC transport current with frequency from 50 to 500 Hz at 77 K. It is found from the test results that the balanced three-phase distributions can be realized by adjusting all of the twist pitches.     

High-Voltage Superconducting Fault Current Limiters Based on High-Diffusivity Dielectric Substrates

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes currently used for the manufacture of resistive fault current limiters use metallic substrates upon which the HTS film is grown. Because the alloys used for these substrates, such as Hastelloy, have a rather high resistivity and low thermal conductivity, the HTS film must be protected by a more conducting metallic layer acting as a shunt to avoid burn out during a fault. This shunt layer limits severely the electric field generated during the fault to values smaller than 100 V/m. A long length of tape is then necessary to achieve the desired high voltage. We show here that by using a high thermal diffusivity dielectric substrate such as sapphire, it is possible to obtain much higher electric fields of up to several kilovolts per meter.     

Research and development of superconducting cable in Super-ACE project

Research and development of fundamental technologies for superconducting AC power equipments (called Super-ACE) project started as a national project in 2000 fiscal year by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization. This project is to research and develop the basic technology of high temperature superconducting cable (HTS cable), fault current limiter, and transformer. Main subjects of the cable in this project are to study the 3 kA superconducting cable conductor, cooling technology of 500 m HTS cable, and power system analysis of cable and AC equipments. The present paper describes the background of this project, target of each research subject, schedule of research and development, and major results of research activity in 2001.     

Electrical-Thermal-Structural Coupled Finite Element Model of High Temperature Superconductor for Resistive Type Fault Current Limiters

A multi-physics finite element model of high-temperature superconductors (HTS) will be presented in this article. The electrical-thermal model is mainly based on Maxwell’s equation and basic heat transfer equation to calculate the temperature propagation along the length of the superconducting tapes. According to the calculated temperature profile during quench, the surface thermal stress of the tape is obtained by a structural model. This model can be used to evaluate the degradation of tape performance due to the surface thermal stress, and the results can be used to minimize these effects in the SFCL system. The proposed model is used to investigate the uneven tape, the thickness of the copper layer and YBCO layer which is non-uniform. Methods of smoothing the degradation effect by adding auxiliary fixed points to the tape and changing the basic thickness of copper layer are discussed.     

Heat transfer from Ni–W tapes in liquid nitrogen at different orientations in the field of gravity

Ni–W tapes of the micrometric thickness are considered as the basis for the cost-effective manufacturing of coated conductors – the 2nd generation of high-temperature superconductor (HTS). Many HTS applications involve widely-available and inexpensive liquid nitrogen. The transition from superconducting to normal state may however occurs due to unexpected temperature fluctuations. In this case Ni–W tape is significantly heated by electrical current propagating through it. The amount of heat transferred from the tape to coolant is defined by heat transfer from the surface of tape to liquid nitrogen. The heat transfer, in turn, is strongly dependent on the tape orientation in the field of gravity. The present paper reports the experimental results on the heat transfer from Ni–W tape to a pool of liquid nitrogen. The heat transfer coefficients are quantified for three subsequent heat transfer regimes: natural convection of liquid nitrogen, nucleate boiling regime and film boiling. The dependence of heat transfer coefficient on inclination angle of the tape from vertical are experimentally clarified for each regime. The expression for the heat transfer coefficient at different inclination angles is derived for the case of nucleate boiling.     

Subcooled liquid nitrogen refrigerator for HTS power systems

Subcooled liquid nitrogen is a good cooling medium of high temperature superconducting (HTS) electric power systems such as an electric power line and a power transformer. To produce subcooled liquid nitrogen, a cryocooler is used and a circulation pump is installed in the system. Several subcooled liquid nitrogen circulation systems were constructed and tested. Those are used as a refrigerator for HTS power systems. The pressure of subcooled liquid nitrogen is maintained at atmospheric pressure (0.108 MPa) and the working temperature is 68 K. One system of HTS power transformer was tested in distribution power line. In each case, the temperature of the cold head of the cryocooler is kept at 64 K little above nitrogen freezing temperature. For the stable operation, the system must work even in the case of shaking condition by earthquake, the pressure must be stable and be kept at atmospheric pressure.     

Detecting and describing the inhomogeneity of critical current in practical long HTS tapes using contact-free method

The nondestructive and contact-free apparatus for measuring local critical current of long high temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes is presented. The local critical current of tape is acquired by using Hall probe array sensor to measure the remanent field after exposed to dc external magnetic field since the critical current is proportional to remanent field based on Bean critical state model. A detailed experiment on multifilamentary Bi2223/Ag tape is made to validate reproducibility, reliability, resolution, nondestructiveness and usefulness for manufacturer and user of tapes. The parameter COV (coefficient of critical current variation) is suggested for quantitatively describing the inhomogeneity and quality of practical long HTS tape based on Gaussian statistical analysis. The developed apparatus can detect HTS tape at velocity of 100 m/h with resolution smaller than 3 mm in liquid nitrogen.     

Development of a 3 MJ/750 kVA SMES system

Research and development on superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) system have been carried out to realize efficient electric power management for several decades. Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has developed a 3 MJ/750 kVA SMES system to improve power quality in sensitive electric loads. It consists of an IGBT based power converter, NbTi mixed matrix Rutherford cable superconducting magnet and a cryostat with HTS current leads. A computer code was developed to find the parameters of the SMES magnet which used minimum amount of superconductors for the same energy storage capability, and the 3 MJ SMES magnet was designed based upon that. This paper describes the fabrication and experimental results of the 3 MJ/750 kVA SMES system.     

Fundamental performance of novel power supply for HTS magnet using solar energy system

A technical fusion is an important option to establish renewal development in the mutual fields. We have proposed a novel superconducting power supply that is combined with superconducting power supply and solar energy system. An eternal electric energy can be converted by solar energy system, which contains solar panel, photovoltaic (PV) controller and energy-storing battery, can be utilized in the utility power of superconducting power applications. The novel power supply could operate without external utility power to charge the HTS load magnet due to the solar energy. We can improve the operating efficiency and install it in remote locations where utility power is not available. In this paper, as a first step of this work, we showed the possibility of technical fusion between a superconducting power supply and a solar energy system.     

Quench protection tests of a cryocooler cooled 6 T NbTi superconducting magnet by an active power method

When a quench occurs in a superconducting magnet, excessive joule heating may damage the magnet. We have presented the quench protection system based on an active power method. Our previous quench protection tests have been carried out for small superconducting magnets whose self inductances are less than several hundred mH to verify principles of our proposed system. In this paper, we present experimental results of quench protection tests of a cryocooler cooled 6 T NbTi superconducting magnet (self inductance 15.5 H), which is a commercial size magnet made by Tamakawa Co., Ltd. We confirmed that our proposed system could inhibit the maximum temperature of the superconducting magnet (initial temperature 4.3 K) after the quench to less than about 44 K at operation magnetic field 5.5 T. Experimental results suggest that our proposed system is useful for practical used superconducting magnets.     

Lumped-Element Dynamic Electro-Thermal model of a superconducting magnet

Modeling accurately electro-thermal transients occurring in a superconducting magnet is challenging. The behavior of the magnet is the result of complex phenomena occurring in distinct physical domains (electrical, magnetic and thermal) at very different spatial and time scales. Combined multi-domain effects significantly affect the dynamic behavior of the system and are to be taken into account in a coherent and consistent model.A new methodology for developing a Lumped-Element Dynamic Electro-Thermal (LEDET) model of a superconducting magnet is presented. This model includes non-linear dynamic effects such as the dependence of the magnet’s differential self-inductance on the presence of inter-filament and inter-strand coupling currents in the conductor. These effects are usually not taken into account because superconducting magnets are primarily operated in stationary conditions. However, they often have significant impact on magnet performance, particularly when the magnet is subject to high ramp rates.Following the LEDET method, the complex interdependence between the electro-magnetic and thermal domains can be modeled with three sub-networks of lumped-elements, reproducing the electrical transient in the main magnet circuit, the thermal transient in the coil cross-section, and the electro-magnetic transient of the inter-filament and inter-strand coupling currents in the superconductor. The same simulation environment can simultaneously model macroscopic electrical transients and phenomena at the level of superconducting strands.The model developed is a very useful tool for reproducing and predicting the performance of conventional quench protection systems based on energy extraction and quench heaters, and of the innovative CLIQ protection system as well.