Development of a 1000A Class Bismuth-Based HTS Model Cable

The first Bismuth-based HTS model cable in China has been developed and tested successfully at the Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The cable consists of a flexible former, conductor layer, inter-layer insulation and an outer insulation-binding layer. The conductor layer of is wound from 171 Bi-2223/Ag multifilamentary tapes which are divided into six layers. The Bi-2223/Ag tapes have been developed by the Northwest Institute for Nonferrous Metal Research and Beijing General Research Institute for Nonferrous Metals. The cable has a 45.2 mm outer diameter and 1.1m length. The tests at 77 K show that the critical current of the cable is more than 1180 A (at 1 PV/cm criterion) and the total joint resistance is less than 0.06 μ Ω. The critical current of the cable was decreased from 1221 A to 1188 A after 2 thermal cycles — a 2.7% degradation. The HTS cable operated with 1000 A steadily and reliably.