Operating experience with the southwire 30-meter high-temperature superconducting power cable

Abstract

Southwire Company is operating a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cable system at its corporate headquarters. The 30-m long, 3-phase cable system is powering three Southwire manufacturing plants and is rated at 12.4-kV, 1250-A, 60-Hz. Cooling is provided by a pressurized liquid nitrogen system operating at 70–80 K. The cables were energized on January 5, 2000 for on-line testing and operation and in April 2000 were placed into extended service. As of June 1, 2001, the HTS cables have provided 100% of the customer load for 8000 hours. The cryogenic system has been in continuous operation since November 1999. The HTS cable system has not been the cause of any power outages to the average 20 MW industrial load served by the cable. The cable has been exposed to short-circuit currents caused by load-side faults without damage. Based upon field measurements described herein, the cable critical current-a key performance parameter-remains the same and has not been affected by the hours of real-world operation, further proving the viability of this promising technology.