Numerical Simulation and Experimental Validation of a Cooling Process in a 150-kJ SMES Magnet

The Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) system is expected to keep the power balance and increase the stability in an electric power system. During operation, heat may be dynamically generated in the superconducting magnet when the SMES system exchanges energy with the electric grid due to ac losses in superconductors and eddy losses in metal parts. To design a suitable cooling system for an SMES system, it is necessary to find out the heat transfer process from a superconducting magnet to a cryorefrigerator. This paper presents a model to analyze the heat transfer in a 150-kJ/100-kW conduction-cooled high-temperature superconducting (HTS) SMES system. The simulation results were identical with the experimental data. Thus, it is verified that the analysis method proposed here is useful for designing a cooling system for a conduction-cooled HTS SMES system.