DESIGN OF A HIGH-TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTOR CURRENT LEAD FOR ELECTRICUTILITY SMES

Current leads that rely on high-temperature superconductors (HTSs) to deliver power to devices operating at liquid helium temperature have t he potential to reduce refrigeration requirements to levels significan tly below those achievable with conventional leads. The design of HTS current leads suitable for use in near-term superconducting magnetic e nergy storage (SMES) is in progress. The SMES system has an 0.5 MWh en ergy capacity and a discharge power of 30 MW. Lead-design consideratio ns include safety and reliability, electrical and thermal performance, structural integrity, manufacturability,and cost. Available details of the design, including materials, configuration, and performance predi ctions, are presented.