SUPERCONDUCTING CABLE ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLY

• US 20090247412A1
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Superconductor Corporation
• Original Assignee: American Superconductor Corporation
• Inventors: Yuan, Jie, Maguire, James F., King, Christopher G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 505/231
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 12/02 characterised by their form
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 12/16 characterised by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/60 Superconducting electric elements or equipment; Power systems integrating superconducting elements or equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49014 Superconductor

Abstract

An HTS cable assembly is provided which includes a cryostat or housing, an HTS wire bundle disposed longitudinally within the cryostat, and plural support members disposed between the HTS wire bundle and the cryostat. The support members are elongate, tubular members having resiliency in both the axial and radial directions. The support members are disposed between the HTS wire bundle and the inner surface of the cryostat in an arrangement that maintains and supports the HTS wire bundle in a spaced-apart relationship with respect to the inner surface of the cryostat. In addition, the plural support members are configured to substantially prevent relative movement between the HTS wire bundle and the cryostat.

Claims

1. A superconducting cable assembly, the assembly comprising:

an elongate cryostat;

at least one electrical conductor formed of a superconducting material, the at least one conductor disposed longitudinally within the cryostat;

plural support members disposed between the at least one conductor and the cryostat, the support members arranged so as to maintain the at least one conductor in a spaced-apart relationship with respect to an interior wall of the cryostat.

2. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 1, wherein

the support members are configured to provide support along a longitudinal length of the at least one conductor.

3. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 1, wherein

each support member comprises a generally tubular body that is both radially and longitudinally resilient.

4. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 1, wherein

each support members comprises a tube having an opening, the opening configured to provide the tube with longitudinal resiliency.

5. The superconducting assembly of claim 4, wherein the opening comprises a slit extending from one end of the tube to an opposed second end of the tube along a helical path.

6. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 1, wherein

each support member comprises a cylindrical helix having a longitudinal axis, and

a line of action of a support force corresponding to the force imposed on the at least one conductor by the support member lies in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the support member.

7. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 6, wherein the support member comprises resiliency both in the direction of the longitudinal axis, and in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal axis.

8. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 1, wherein

each support member is configured to be in contact with the at least one conductor along a contact line which extends from a first end of the at least one electrical conductor to a second end of the at least one electrical conductor.

9. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 8, wherein

the contact line extends in a helical path about the outer surface of the at least one electrical conductor.

10. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 8, wherein

the contact line of one support member does not intersect the contact lines of the respective other support members.

11. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 1, wherein

the support members extend continuously along the axial length of the cryostat.

12. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 1, wherein

the support members are substantially equidistantly spaced about the at least one electrical conductor.

13. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 12, wherein

the equidistant spacing of the support members is maintained with regular intervals of wire fixturing.

14. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 1, wherein

the support members extend longitudinally within the cyrostat along a helical path.

15. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 1, wherein

the support members define a conduit in which sensor leads are disposed.

16. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 1, wherein

the at least one conductor comprises plural electrical conductors formed of superconducting material.

17. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 16, wherein

the plural electrical conductors are wrapped in an overwrap, the overwrap including a plastic sleeve having a slit extending from a first end of the sleeve to a second end of the sleeve along a helical path,

the plural electrical conductors are coaxial with the cryostat, and

the support members reside between the at least one conductor and the cryostat.

18. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 17, wherein

each support member comprises a tube having a slit extending from one end of the tube to an opposed second end of the tube along a helical path,

the slit formed in the overwrap comprises a pitch that is opposed in direction relative to a pitch of the slit formed in each support member.

19. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 18, wherein

the pitch of the slit formed in both the overwrap and support members is about 1 turn per meter.

20. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 1, wherein

the cryostat is flexible.

21. A superconducting cable assembly, the assembly comprising:

an elongate cryostat;

at least one electrical conductor formed of a superconducting material, the at least one conductor disposed longitudinally within the cryostat;

plural support members disposed between the at least one conductor and the cryostat, each support member comprising an elongate, generally tubular body that is both radially and longitudinally resilient.

22. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 21, wherein

the support members are configured to provide support along a longitudinal length of the at least one conductor.

23. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 21, wherein

the support members arranged so as to maintain the at least one conductor in a spaced-apart relationship with respect to an interior wall of the cryostat.

24. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 21, wherein

each support member comprises an opening, the opening configured to provide the tubular body with longitudinal resiliency.

25. The superconducting assembly of claim 24, wherein the opening comprises a slit extending from one end of the tubular body to an opposed second end of the tubular body along a helical path.

26. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 21, wherein

the support members extend continuously along the axial length of the cryostat.

27. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 21, wherein

the support members are substantially equidistantly spaced about the at least one electrical conductor.

28. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 21, wherein

the support members extend longitudinally within the cyrostat along a helical path.

29. The superconducting cable assembly of claim 21, wherein

the support members define a conduit in which sensor leads are disposed.

30. A method of assembling a superconducting cable assembly, the method of assembling comprising the following method steps:

providing at least one electrical conductor formed of a superconducting material,

positioning plural elongate support members having a radially and longitudinally resilient bodies about a periphery of the at least one electrical conductor so that a longitudinal axis of each of the plural support members is generally aligned with the a longitudinal axis of the at least one electrical conductor, and so that each support member is equidistantly spaced apart with respect to the other support members;

stretching the elongate support members whereby an outer diameter of each support member is reduced relative to an outer diameter of the support member in an unconstrained state;

inserting the at least one electrical conductor and elongate support members into an elongate cryostat so that a longitudinal axis of the at least one electrical conductor is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the cryostat; and

releasing the stretch of the support members so that the outer diameter of each support member resiliently expands, and so that the at least one electrical conductor is supported by the support members within the cryostat so as to be in a spaced-apart relationship with respect to an interior wall of the cryostat.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the cryostat, the at least one electrical conductor, and support members are respectively dimensioned such that, when the stretch is released, the support members resiliently expand to a constrained diameter that is less than the diameter of the support members in the unconstrained state, whereby the support members exert a radially directed support force on the at least one electrical conductor.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein the step of stretching is achieved by applying a tensile force to opposed ends of the elongate support members.