Product category:
Cabling, Conduit, Accessories and Signal Conditioning
News Release from: Nexans
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 01 May 2003
Superconducting cable to increase US
grid density
Nexans is to manufacture the cable and cryogenic insulation system for the US Department of Energy's high-temperature superconductor power transmission cable project on Long Island.
Nexans has been awarded the contract to manufacture the cable and cryogenic insulation system for the US Department of Energy's (DOE) $30 million high-temperature superconductor (HTS) power transmission cable project in the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) transmission grid The 610m segment will be the world's first installation of a superconductor cable in a live transmission grid
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 6 Jun 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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Nexans will fabricate the superconductor cable using HTS wire manufactured by American Superconductor (AMSC), a leading electricity solutions company.
AMSC has been selected by the US DOE as prime contractor for this project.
A Nexans Cryoflex vacuum-insulated flexible cryogenic envelope will provide the thermal insulation required to maintain the cable core at its operating temperature of about -200C.
Air Liquide will provide refrigeration equipment and oversee operation of the cryogenic cooling system.
The 610m transmission circuit, capable of powering 300,000 homes, will be located underground in an existing right of way.
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With a capacity of 600MW, the 138kV superconductor cable system will be an integral part of the LIPA grid and is expected to be installed and operating by the end of 2005.
Yvon Raak, President of Nexans' Energy Division, said: "We are delighted to be participating in this important project.
The growth opportunities for superconductor cables are enormous and this reinforces our position as a key participant in the market".
A high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cable can carry several times more current than a conventional copper cable with the same cross-section.
The current flows through HTS wires which exhibit a zero resistance when cooled with liquid nitrogen at about -200C.
Superconductor cables can be installed in existing rights of way - helping reduce the cost and environmental impact of grid upgrades.
Michael Hervey, Director of Transmission and Distribution for LIPA said: "Siting new transmission lines has become a formidable challenge in congested areas such as Long Island.
Superconductor cables can transmit substantially more power than conventional cables in the same right of way, which will help us to continue meeting our customers' growing demands for electricity.
This technology is a powerful new tool for relieving grid constraints reliably and unobtrusively".
After an initial operational period, LIPA plans to retain the new superconductor cable as a permanent part of its grid following performance and economic reviews of the cable system.
LIPA and American Superconductor have also discussed plans to install high capacity, low-environmental-impact HTS cables elsewhere in the LIPA grid to address the growing electric power needs on Long Island.
Greg Yurek, Chief Executive of American Superconductor, said: "Superconductor wires have come of age and are being incorporated in many new large-scale electrical applications including motors, generators and power cables.
Our LIPA project is one of three new superconductor cable projects being started in the USA this year with DOE support and one of a total of 10 HTS cable projects worldwide.
We believe we are well positioned, based on our wire performance and pricing, to be the wire supplier of choice for all three US projects as well as for those being developed outside the USA".
The LIPA superconductor cable is a cost-shared, industry-government partnership in which DOE will provide approximately $15 million of the $30 million cost of the project.
The balance of the project costs will be borne by the industrial partners.
Spencer Abraham, US Secretary of Energy, said: "This work will help provide solutions to power quality and electric reliability problems, bringing the benefits of superconductivity more quickly to the US electrical industry and the American people.
Highly visible public-private partnerships such as this will encourage industry to develop and test prototype equipment for the US electric power system and expand the Department's research and development of superconductivity to support the President's National Energy Plan".
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