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Testing for a new installation of second-generation high-temperature superconducting electric cable on New York’s Long Island is scheduled to start by the first week of October. The installation, a demonstration project under a public-private partnership, will advance the development of very-low-impedance high-temperature superconducting cable, which can deliver large amounts of electric power without the losses associated with conventional conductors. Long Island Power Authority plans to commission the 600-meter cable on its transmission grid in Suffolk County, N.Y., by Dec. 3.
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American Superconductor Corp.
Three cables in one are cooled by liquid nitrogen. |
American Superconductor Corp., Burlington, Mass., is the prime contractor and manufacturer of the wires for the $45-million project. Installation began in June on LIPA right-of-way in Holbrook, N.Y., says Bruce Germano, LIPA vice president of retail services. The cable can increase the transmission capacity of a power grid without increasing system voltage levels, while eliminating the need for dielectric oils and enabling controllable power flow in an AC power network, he says. The 138-kV cable will deliver 331 MW of power, the same as the cable it is replacing, because it is connected in series with conventional cable. Its bus-to-bus power delivery capability is 574 megavolt-amperes, says a LIPA spokesman.
Nexans, Paris, is providing the design and development and is manufacturing the cable and cryostat for the nitrogen-refrigerated cable. Superconductors are solid ceramic compounds that conduct electricity more efficiently than copper wires when chilled to temperatures between -320°F and -370°F and in magnetic fields from 1 to 4 Tesla. Air Liquide Advanced Technologies U.S. LLC, Houston, provides the cryogenic refrigeration expertise.
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American Superconductor Corp.
Steadily growing power demand requires new solutions for efficient power delivery. |
The project is one of five that will receive a total of up to $51.8 million under the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Superconductivity Partnership with Industry. AMSC is receiving $9 million toward the LIPA project under the DOE program to develop a long-length transmission-voltage superconductor. Southwire Co., Carrollton, Ga., will receive $13.3 million toward the $26.6-million cost of a superconducting cable for Entergy Louisiana Inc., Jefferson, La., to be completed in 2011. The other projects will emphasize development of fault current limiters using second-generation wire.
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