Thermal and Cooling Characteristic Analysis of a Superconducting DC Power Cable for Railway Application

A superconducting power cable is required to be cooled down and kept at a very low temperature, so it is important to reveal its thermal and cooling characteristics. We have analyzed the heat flow and temperature distribution of a single-core superconducting power cable for railway application. Temperature of the cable increases due to heat flow through the vacuum thermal insulation layer and the current leads. A superconducting cable core is displaced from the cable center axis by gravity and by thermal contraction at a curved section. These forces press the vacuum thermal insulation layer, which would influence its thermal insulation performance. Heat flow through the thermal insulation layer, etc. is evaluated, and FEM analysis is carried out to obtain the temperature distribution. The total heat invasion and the pressure drop are also estimated in the superconducting power cable.