Effects of HTS Tape Arrangements to Increase Critical Current for the DC Power Cable

Critical current of the high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape is one of the important parameters for the application of power cables. After combination of the tapes in the cable, the self-field of the tape will be affected by the field from the other tapes, which will result in the degradation of the tape performance. Recently, a 200-m HTS cable test facility for dc power transmission and distribution has been constructed at Chubu University by using BSCCO tapes. In order to optimize the configuration of the HTS tapes in the cable, the effects on the critical current of the tape arrangements are investigated. In order to achieve high current capacity and efficiency of the cable, a multilayer configuration of the tapes is employed. This technical paper will present the measurements of the critical currents of the tape against the layer structures and the gaps between the HTS tapes. The critical current of the tape is measured by the four-probe method at liquid nitrogen temperature. We will present the effects on the critical current of the tape of the magnetic field from the currents applied to the neighboring tapes in the cable. An improvement of the critical current is observed, which suggests the design of DC HTS power cables regarding the tape arrangements may influence the cable property.