High Voltage Cable with Rounded Conductor Corners

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Solution Overview

Problem

High voltage transformers face significant challenges in reducing eddy current losses, which are prevalent in the corners of conductors, leading to increased power losses and material costs due to existing solutions like multi-strand continuously transposed cables, which are expensive to manufacture and require substantial copper usage.

Innovation Solution

A cable design featuring conductors with rounded corners and a magnetic shield, where the corners have a radius between w/5 and w/3, with the space outside the corners filled with a magnetic material to minimize eddy current losses while maintaining DC loss efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If multi-strand continuously transposed cables (CTC) are used to reduce eddy current losses, then eddy current losses are reduced, but manufacturing cost and material cost increase tremendously

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveeddy current lossesVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies curvature by rounding the corners of the conductor cross-section. This geometric modification eliminates the sharp corners that generate high eddy current losses while maintaining a simple single-strand construction. The rounded corners reduce the concentration of magnetic flux and associated eddy currents without requiring complex multi-strand transposition structures, thereby achieving loss reduction with simpler and less expensive manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by selectively modifying only the corner regions of the conductor cross-section. Instead of changing the entire conductor structure to multi-strand CTC, the invention locally rounds the corners where eddy current losses are most severe. This localized modification targets the specific problem area while maintaining the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of the overall single-strand conductor design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Loss of energy

If multi-strand continuously transposed cables (CTC) are used to reduce eddy current losses, then eddy current losses are reduced, but copper usage and material cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveeddy current lossesVSAvoidcopper usage
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The rounded corner geometry reduces eddy current paths and their intensity without requiring additional copper strands or transposition structures. The single rounded-corner strand uses less copper than an equivalent multi-strand CTC while achieving comparable or better eddy current loss reduction, directly addressing the material quantity concern.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts and eliminates the need for complex multi-strand transposed structures by using a simple rounded-corner single strand. This extraction of the essential function (reducing eddy currents) from the complex CTC structure achieves the same or better performance with significantly reduced copper usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Loss of energy

If conductor corners are rounded to reduce eddy current losses, then eddy current losses are reduced, but conductor cross-sectional area decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveeddy current lossesVSAvoidconductor cross-sectional area
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSArea of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent optimizes the corner radius parameter to achieve the best compromise between eddy current loss reduction and cross-sectional area maintenance. By carefully selecting the rounding radius (not too small to be ineffective, not too large to excessively reduce area), the invention achieves significant eddy current loss reduction while minimizing the impact on conductor area and current-carrying capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The cable design effectively reduces eddy current losses by up to 50% compared to existing solutions, while maintaining DC loss efficiency, and can be used in high, medium, or low voltage applications, offering a cost-effective solution for high voltage applications.

Implementation Method 1

a layer comprising a magnetic material having a relative magnetic permeability in the range 2 to 100000, wherein the layer at least party surrounds the conductor

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMagnetic shielding: Magnetic Field

Implementation Method 2

Eddy current losses may thereby be reduced

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEddy current losses: Eddy Currents

Data Source

PatentEP3282457B1High voltage cable for a winding and electromagnetic induction device comprising the same
Publication Date: 2023.06.07 HITACHI ENERGY LTD
  • EP3282457B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3282457B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4a
  • EP3282457B1 patent drawingFigure 4b~4c

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a cable (1) for a high voltage winding of an electromagnetic induction device. The cable (1) comprises a conductor (5) having a width w, and a shield (3) arranged around at least a portion of the conductor (5), wherein in any cross-section of the conductor (5) the conductor has rounded corners (5a) with a radius r in the range w/8<r≤w/2. A high voltage electromagnetic induction device comprising a cable forming a high voltage winding is also disclosed herein.