DEVELOPMENT OF EXTRUDED POLYMER INSULATED SUPERCONDUCTING CABLE

A superconducting power cable which has a structure similar to the conventional extruded polyethylene cable is proposed. The main features of the design are to exploit the excellent electrical properties of polymers at cryogenic temperatures and to separate the helium coolant from the electrical insulation. However, the most hazardous problem of this insulation system is cracking of the extruded polymer insulation during cooling. In order to examine the feasibility of the above proposal, a superconducting cable of rated voltage 20 kV and rated current 2 kA was manufactured, being suitable for the university laboratory tests. Extruded polyethylene or ethylene propylene rubber was adopted as electrical insulation. Current transmission tests up to 2.5 kA were performed with extruded polyethylene insulated superconducting cable though the insulation cracked during cooling. Voltage application tests were carried out with fair success at the liquid helium temperature with extruded ethylene propylene rubber insulated cable. This is a breakthrough in terms of the electrical insulation design of cryogenic cables.