Current sharing optimization of multilayer high temperature superconducting cable

Abstract

Large-capacity high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables generally adopt a multilayer structure to increase the current-carrying capacity. However, the multilayer structure of the HTS cables will increase the uneven current distribution, decreasing the critical current and heighten the AC loss. Therefore, the current sharing technology between each layer of the HTS cable is essential to improve transmission performance. This paper proposes two hybrid HTS current sharing optimization algorithms based on particle swarm optimization and artificial bee colonies. The current distribution of the HTS cable in each layer under pre- and post-optimization is estimated and the structure parameters are obtained. A 3D model is established to evaluate the characteristics of the optimized HTS cable. The results show that the proposed hybrid current sharing optimization schemes can well improve the inner current sharing of the HTS cable, and the feasibility and effectiveness are therefore demonstrated.