Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Superconductor cables are an advanced solution for efficient power transmission in modern electrical grids, offering minimal energy losses and a compact design. However, ensuring their reliability requires maintaining temperature and current below critical limits (TcandTc). Understanding the effects of grid faults on these cables is crucial for system stability. This study presents a novel discretized electrical-thermal-hydraulic model for a 100 km-long, high-power superconducting cable withTc= 34 45 kA, HVDC transmission (100 kV, 2 GW). A superconducting joint was fabricated, achieving an average resistance of 7 nΩ, and added this resistance value in the simulation. Additionally, a single REBCO tape was experimentally quenched, and the measured current and temperature were compared with the simulation results for validation. A discretized element model with 100 segments was used to analyse key parameters such as temperature distribution, resistance, critical current, and losses. A pole to-ground (PG) fault of 41.5 kA was simulated to examine current distribution between the copper former and HTS tapes. A 2D T-A model of a 10-kA subsea HTS cable was developed in COMSOL Multiphysics to evaluate electromagnetic behaviour and harmonic ripple losses. Experimental results confirmed the accuracy of the simulations. Moreover, integrating a Superconducting Fault Current Limiter (SFCL) proved effective in mitigating fault impacts and maintaining cable stability by preventing the quench of the HTS power cable. This paper presents key findings on optimizing cryogenic cooling, fault management, and cable topology for reliable HVDC HTS power transmission.
Institution: University of Strathclyde
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7163050122