High capacity cable's role in once and future grids

High temperature superconducting (HTS) cables cooled to 77 K are starting to be tested and could soon be carrying a lot more current through the same old underground city pipes. If superconducting transmission cables can be made to work compatibly with other emerging high-temperature superconducting technologies then it may be possible to layout grids in innovative ways and to position generators closer to customers without having to step voltage up and down. Conventional underground cables normally incorporate fluid, such that the use of liquid-nitrogen coolant in superconducting cables is not such a departure as it might at first seem. The main immediate challenge in developing superconducting cables is to acquire operational experience. Only by working with live-networks and with the users of network equipment will it be possible to evaluate compatibility with existing components, system reliability, maintenance and total system costs. Two basic types of superconducting cable designs are emerging. In one the HTS conductor is enclosed in a cryogenic environment, which in turn is covered by conventional room temperature dielectric. In the other, a cryogenic-dielectric design, two concentric HTS conductors are used transmit electricity. These designs are discussed as are superconducting tapes for 77 K operation, cooling and insulation, joints and terminations, and testing parameters.