Superconducting Power Devices

About

Description Power cables have terminations on either end to guarantee dielectric integrity: They interconnect the power cable with its high electric field to air-insulated parts with their lower electric fields in changing ambient conditions. In the case of a superconducting power cable, the terminations must link the cryogenic environment in the cable to the room temperature environment of the non-superconducting elements of the power system. The higher temperatures of these components cause substantial heat influx into the termination and consequently into the superconducting cable. There is no present technology that solves this problem without the use of liquid cryogins. The choice of the coolant is driven by the intended application for shipboard power systems, where the use of liquid cryogins and heavier than air gases pose potential unacceptable hazards such as asphyxiation, and high pressure associated with phase change. The heat sink we have designed intercepts the heat influx from power and room temperature components to the superconducting cable.