Prototype Fabrication of Power Cable Using Bi-2223 Ag-Sheathed Superconducting Tape

Abstract

For the practical application of oxide superconductor to power transmission lines, the prototype of a superconducting cable was fabricated using Bi-2223 Ag-sheathed tape. Single-core tapes as the elemental conductor were prepared by conventional powder-in-tube technique. We applied the wound tape Prewind-React-Wind technique (Prewind method) to fabricate the power cable. Heat treatment of Ag-sheathed tapes was carried out under bending strain. At cabling, the tapes were spirally wound on a flexible cable former at a strain value similar to that at heat treatment. A prototype of the flexible power cable, which had an Ic of 265 A at liquid nitrogen temperatures in a zero magnetic field was successfully fabricated. The Ic of the cable under bending strain was not degraded up to 4% strain (bending radius of 200 mm).