Twisted HTS Cable Structure for High-Current Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current high-current-carrying conductors are either heavy and inflexible due to large diameter wires made of copper or aluminum, which are unsuitable for applications requiring lightweight and flexible cables that can transmit large electric currents without significant loss.
Innovation Solution
The development of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables composed of stacked HTS tapes arranged in a rhomboidal or hexagonal structure, twisted about the cable axis, to create a flexible, lightweight, and compact conductor with enhanced current-carrying capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If large diameter wires made of copper or aluminum are used to transmit large electric currents, then current-carrying capacity is improved, but weight and bulk increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental electrical parameter of the conductor material by transitioning from normal conducting materials (copper, aluminum) to high-temperature superconducting materials. This parameter change enables the cable to carry large currents with zero electrical resistance, eliminating the need for large cross-sectional areas and thereby dramatically reducing weight while maintaining high current-carrying capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structure by combining high-temperature superconducting tapes with metallic alloys (such as silver, copper, or aluminum matrices). This composite approach allows the superconducting component to carry the current while the metallic matrix provides mechanical strength and flexibility, achieving both high current capacity and reduced weight
2Quantity of substance
If large diameter wires are used to carry high currents, then current-carrying capacity is improved, but flexibility and ease of handling deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the conductor into multiple thin superconducting tapes stacked together to form a composite cable structure. This segmentation allows each individual tape to remain flexible while collectively achieving high current-carrying capacity, solving the contradiction between thickness required for high current and flexibility required for ease of handling
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes thin superconducting tape films as the core current-carrying element. These thin films inherently possess high flexibility and can be bent, coiled, and routed easily, while when stacked and bundled together, they achieve the necessary current-carrying capacity for high-power applications
3Quantity of substance
If conventional conductors are used to transmit large currents, then current-carrying capacity is achieved, but energy loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the electrical resistance parameter from finite (in copper and aluminum) to zero (in superconducting materials). This parameter change occurs when the superconducting material is cooled below its critical temperature, enabling lossless current transmission while maintaining high current-carrying capacity
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 HTS cables achieve significant flexibility, reduced weight, and high current-carrying capacity, improving upon prior art by maintaining superconducting behavior at elevated temperatures and minimizing power loss, making them suitable for applications such as degaussing systems and high-current electric power transmission.
Implementation Method 1
high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes stacked substantially coplanar to a plane formed by the width and the length of individual HTS tapes
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
High-current, compact, flexible conductors containing high temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes and methods for making the same are described. The HTS tapes are arranged into a stack, a plurality of stacks are arranged to form a superstructure, and the superstructure is twisted about the cable axis to obtain a HTS cable. The HTS cables of the invention can be utilized in numerous applications such as cables employed to generate magnetic fields for degaussing and high current electric power transmission or distribution applications.