Product category:
Cabling, Conduit, Accessories and Signal Conditioning
News Release from: Nexans | Subject: High-temperature superconductor cable
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 08 May 2008
World's longest superconductor cable
passes test
The 600m, 138kV, 574MVA power link is the first superconductor cable installed in a live grid and operating at transmission voltage.
The world's longest and highest-voltage superconductor power transmission cable, developed and manufactured by Nexans, has just been energised successfully in a test installation for the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), one of the largest municipal electric utilities in the US The 600m, 138kV, 574MVA power link, comprising three high-temperature superconductor (HTS) cable phases running in parallel, is the world's first superconductor cable system installed in a live grid operating at transmission voltage
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 6 Jun 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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The purpose of the LIPA project, which is supported by the US Department of Energy (DOE), is to provide a real-life demonstration of the application of an HTS cable within an electric utility's operational transmission system.
The cable system, including six outdoor terminations for connection to LIPA's grid, was designed, manufactured and installed by Nexans.
The cable uses HTS wire produced by American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC), which also is the prime contractor for the project.
Air Liquide has provided the liquid nitrogen refrigeration system.
The superconductor cable has been installed in LIPA's Holbrook transmission right-of-way.
It is capable of transmitting up to 574MVA of electricity, enough to power 300,000 homes.
After an initial operational period and following performance and economic reviews, LIPA plans to retain the superconductor cable as a permanent part of its grid.
HTS cables can carry three to five times more power than conventional copper cables of similar sizes.
With lower impedance than conventional technology, superconductor cables can be placed strategically in the power grid to draw flow away from overtaxed cables or overhead lines, reducing network congestion.
The DOE sees HTS cables as a core component of a modern electricity superhighway, one that is free of bottlenecks and can readily transmit power to customers from remote generating sites such as wind farms.
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