Fault Tolerant Current Limiting Superconducting Cable for Cryo-Electrified Systems

目前，铜铝基电缆是最常见的传输用户所需能量的设备，但它们具有高功率损耗、重量大和尺寸大的缺点[1]、[2]。高温超导(HTS)电缆是解决这些问题的一种方法，特别是对于连接到海上风力涡轮机的电网。与传统的铜缆相比，HTS电缆可以提供高5-10倍的功率，并具有3-5倍的紧凑型尺寸[3]。这是因为与传统导体相比，高温超导材料的载流能力更高。此外，由于超导体的性质，高温超导电缆的能量损失量约为零。高温超导电缆是电力运输和电力系统设备的一种很有前途的选择，尤其是那些有风电场的设备。尽管高温超导电缆提供了广泛的能量转移机会，但由于故障期间温度上升很快，因此非常容易受到故障电流的影响。因此，这不仅会危及电力系统的安全稳定，而且会引起经济上的担忧，因为高温(400K以上)[4]、[5]绝缘时，高温超导电缆的能量传输会中断。这就是“容错限流(FTCL)”高温超导电缆作为一种可行的解决方案可以发挥重要作用的地方。在这个博士项目中，我们的目标是设计和开发一种实验室规模的FTCL-HTS电缆，该电缆能够容忍数百个循环的短路故障，而不会出现烧毁的可能性。这种电缆还可以进一步用于电网应用、高铁、电动船舶和氢电飞机等电气化运输。

Currently, copper-and-aluminum-based cables are the most common devices to deliver the demanded energy by the costumersbut they have high power loss, massive weight, and large size [1],[2]. High temperature superconducting (HTS) cable is a solution to these problems, especially for grids connected to offshore wind turbines. HTS cables can deliver 5-10 times higher power and have 3-5 times compacter sized compared to their conventional copper counterparts [3]. This is due to higher current carrying capacity of HTS materials compared with conventional conductors. Also, due to the nature of superconductors, the amount of energy loss in HTS cables is about zero. The HTS cables are a promising option for electric transportation applications as well as for power system apparatuses, especially those with wind farms.Although HTS cables offer a wide range of opportunities for energy transfer, they are highly vulnerable against fault currents,due to that the rapid temperature rise during faults. Consequently, this would not only jeopardize the safety and stability of power system but also, will cause economic concerns as energy transfer would be stopped when HTS cable is isolated because of high temperature (above 400 K) [4],[5]. This is where "fault tolerant current limiting (FTCL)" HTS cable can play a significant role as a feasible solution. In this PhD program, we aim to design and develop a lab-scale FTCL-HTS cable that is able to tolerate short circuit faults for hundreds of cycles without the possibility of burnout. This cable could be further used in power grid applications, electrified transportations such as high-speed trains, electric ships, and hydrogen-electric aircraft.