Design and experimental results for Albany HTS cable

The Albany Project plans to install a 350 m High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) cable in the power grid of the Niagara Mohawk Power Company to carry 800 Arms at 34.5 kV. The type of the cable has 3 HTS cores in one cryostat with Bi-2223 used for HTS conductor and shield layers. The three cores are housed within double SUS corrugated pipes which provides thermal insulation. The tapes are manufactured with a new innovative sintering method with controlled over pressure (CT-OP) technology. Polypropylene laminated paper (PPLP) is used as electrical insulation. The cable will be installed in long underground conduit. A cable joint will be made in an underground vault to connect a 30 m length of the cable with the remaining 320 m. The original Bi-2223 30 m cable will be replaced with a 30 m YBCO cable after long-term operation. The terminations at both ends of the cable will have three bushings in a cryogenic vessel. Typical performance evaluation experiments, such as cable bending tests, voltage tests, and fault current tests, have been conducted with sample cables to check the design. Voltage tests for 69 kV AC and 200 kV impulse were successfully applied to a 5 m cable in accordance with the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC) code of 35 kV class cable. The cable will be manufactured and installed in 2004 and 2005, then, long-term operation will be started.