Testing of 3-Meter Prototype Fault Current Limiting Cables

Two 3-m long, single-phase cables have been fabricated by Ultera from second generation (2G) superconductor wire supplied by American Superconductor. The first cable was made with two layers of 2G tape conductor and had a critical current of 5,750 A while the second cable had four layers and a critical current of 8,500 A. AC loss was measured for both cables at ac currents of up to 4 kA rms . Ultera performed initial fault current studies of both cables in Denmark with limited currents in the range from 9.1 to 44 kA. Results from these tests will provide a basis for a 25-m long, three-phase, prototype cable to be tested at ORNL early next year and a 300-m long, fault current limiting, superconducting cable to be installed in a Consolidated Edison substation in New York City.