Nb/sub 3/Ge-based 1-m power-transmission cable: material development, cable fabrication, and cable-performance tests. Final report, July 1981

Technical Report · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:6295445

Maley, M P; Newkirk, L R; Thompson, J D; Valencia, F A

Since its discovery in 1973 as the superconductor with the highest known transition temperature (T/sub c/ greater than or equal to 23 K), Nb/sub 3/Ge has offered the possibility of operating temperatures greater than or equal to 14 K, for superconducting devices. For application to the transmission of electric power, higher operating temperatures imply increased efficiency and lower capital costs. In the first two phases of our program to develop a Nb/sub 3/Ge conductor for power transmission applications we developed a chemical vapor deposition CVD process for producing long continuous lengths of Nb/sub 3/Ge-clad tape conductors with critical current densities J/sub c/ and low ac losses suitable for power transmission at T greater than or equal to 12 K. In this report, we describe the fabrication and testing of a 1-m-long coaxial cable constructed from 87 m of our Nb/sub 3/Ge-clad tape. Short sample measurements indicated that all of this tape exceeded the specification that J/sub c/ (13.8 K) greater than or equal to 1.8 x 10/sup 6/ A/cm/sup 2/. The cable was wound in the double-helix design of the Brookhaven National Laboratory, BNL, power transmission project. AC current tests were performed at BNL where the cable carried the design current amplitude of 6000 A but exhibited ac losses from 7 to 13 K that were 50 to 100 greater than were expected from short sample measurements. These losses were attributed to a combination of instrumental problems associated with ac loss measurements in 1-m cables of the double helix design, end effects, and possible tape damage. The results of a materials development program aimed at improving the superconducting performance of our Nb/sub 3/Ge material is also described.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6295445
• Report Number(s): EPRI-EL-1948; ON: DE81026297
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

200303* -- Power Transmission & Distribution-- Superconducting & Cryogenic Systems-- (-1989)
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
AC LOSSES
ALLOYS
CABLES
CHEMICAL COATING
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
CONDUCTOR DEVICES
DATA
DEPOSITION
ELECTRIC CABLES
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ENERGY LOSSES
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FABRICATION
GERMANIUM ALLOYS
INFORMATION
LOSSES
MATERIALS TESTING
NIOBIUM ALLOYS
NUMERICAL DATA
PERFORMANCE TESTING
POWER TRANSMISSION LINES
SUPERCONDUCTING CABLES
SURFACE COATING
TESTING