Development of HTS Current Leads for Industrial Fabrication

Abstract

High temperature superconductor current leads have been demonstrated to provide cryogenic savings compared to conventional copper leads. The applicability of HTS current leads to industrial fabrication is now a possibility. CRPP and WEKA AG are collaborating in the development of current leads for currents in the range of 3 kA to 30 kA, which are suitable for industrial fabrication. The design of these leads is such that the architecture and construction can be easily scaled to the required current level. The main components of these current leads are an HTS module, a copper heat exchanger, and cold and warm end connections. Two 10 kA prototype current leads, mainly distinguished by different designs of the copper heat exchanger, will be constructed. They will be tested at CRPP to verify the manufacturing processes and the overall design.Index Terms-Current lead design, heat exchanger, HTS current leads, industrial fabrication.