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Historic day for
superconducting power cablesBrendby,
Germany, September 20: On 18 September 2006 and under the banner: “More
Power to More People”. American Electric Power (AEP) formally energised a
new-design, breakthrough superconducting power cable, 200 metres long, in
Columbus, Ohio. Dag Willén, Chresten Træholt and Carsten Thidemann from
nkt cables’ R & D team
share the credit for the development work that has now resulted in the
realisation of a visionary cable project.
The new cable is partly based on a refinement of
the superconducting technology that in 2001 enabled nkt cables to inaugurate the
world’s first superconducting cable with the Copenhagen power grid. Tested as
part of the commercial grid operation over two years, the cable delivered a
flawless performance.
Read about the Copenhagen superconducting power
cable here
/www.supercables.com/Demonstration/demo_2.html
nkt cables subsequently continued its
superconducting cable activities in a joint venture with fellow superconducting
cable pioneer, Southwire Company in the United States. In 2000, Southwire
installed a superconducting cable at its facility in Carrollton, Georgia, where
it remains in operation.
Read about the first Southwire superconducting
cable here
www.supercables.com/Demonstration/demo_3.html
 NKT
superconducting power cable expertise in joint venture
The Danish electricity industry has strong
pioneering traditions in cable technology. Over the years, in a flourishing
partnership with NKT, a number of notable firsts have been achieved: new high
voltage cable products, long-distance cable installation, lead- and PVC-free
cables, and sustainable reprocessing techniques.
In the 1990s it was therefore logical for NKT to
be strongly involved in developing the ceramic tapes whose superconducting
properties (ie. zero electrical resistance when cooled) made them a serious
alternative to copper and aluminium conductors in power cables.
The development of superconducting tapes by NKT’s
company Nordic Superconductor Technologies and the development of
superconducting cables by NKT Research & Innovation are activities that today
continue under US ownership. The assets of Nordic Superconductor Technologies
were sold to American Superconductor in 2002. At the same time, nkt cables and
Southwire formalised their existing technology collaboration under a joint
venture called UlteraTM.
Danish superconductor technologies and expertise
are therefore strongly represented in the development of the new Triax
superconducting power cable.
The prospects for
superconducting power cablesA
superconducting power cable is characterised by zero negligible electrical
resistance, and it can therefore carry very large amounts of current at a low
voltage. In simple terms this means that a superconducting cable can transport
five times as much power as a conventional cable, and in reality a high voltage
cable can therefore be converted to a medium voltage cable.
This is enormously important in the light of the
rapidly growing demand for more grid capacity in order to satisfy the domestic
and commercial need for more power-intensive products while at the same time
maintaining security of supply.
The newly developed Triax Cable System contains
solutions to a number of the obstacles that have hitherto prevented the
practical and commercial application of superconducting cables in transmission
and distribution networks.
The new Triax
superconducting power cableOne very
tangible advantage of the new superconducting power cable is its smaller
cross-section.
This means that the cable is easier to transport
and easier to install, and needs considerably less space. These are major
considerations in the renewal and expansion of city power grids.
New solutions have also been developed regarding
the position of the superconducting tapes, which in turn simplifies the
technology needed to cool the tapes to superconducting temperature.
In addition, the heat development that normally
takes place during cable operation has relatively little effect on the new Triax
cable. Accordingly, superconducting power cables are far less susceptible than
conventional cables to the varying exposure loads. A superconducting power cable
is therefore ideal for eliminating the bottlenecks that can occur in a power
grid under strain.
Last but not least, the new Triax cable also
represents a significant step towards a reduction of the costs associated with
previous superconducting power cables. In a future perspective these costs will
therefore no longer constitute an obstacle to the commercial application of
superconducting power cables.
Read more about nkt cables here
www.nktcables.com
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