Installation and operation of the Southwire 30-meter high-temperature superconducting power cable

Southwire Company has installed, tested and is operating the first real-wor ld application of a high-temperature superconducting cable system at its he adquarters in Carrollton, Ga. The cable is powering three Southwire manufac turing plants, marking the first time a company has successfully made the d ifficult transition from laboratory to practical field application of an WI TS cable. The cables are rated at 12.4-kV, 1250-A, 60 Hz and are cooled wit h pressurized liquid nitrogen at temperatures from 70-80 K. Before placing the cables into service, extensive off-line electrical testing was performe d including voltage withstand, measurement of de critical current, extended load current testing, rated voltage testing and partial discharge measurem ent. The cables were energized on Jan. 5, 2000 for on-line testing and oper ation, and by the end of Aug. 2000, had provided 100% of the customer load for 2164 hours.