Fully Encapsulating Dielectrics for Gaseous Helium Cooled Superconducting CORC Power Cables

Future power systems on board Navy ships require electrical power in the order of 20 to 80 MW, which currently cant be provided by conventional copper or aluminum power cables. Advanced Conductor Technologies LLC (ACT) has been developing high-temperature superconducting Conductor on Round Core (CORC) power transmission cables, rated at 10 kA per phase, for the Navy that form a potential solution in which the required power can be transported in a lightweight and low-loss system. A significant challenge that needs to be overcome for CORC cables cooled with cryogenic helium gas is the ability to operate the cables at voltages exceeding 1 kV. Advanced Conductor Technologies, together with the Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS) at the Florida State University (FSU) and Georgia Institute of Technology propose to develop fully encapsulating dielectrics for use in cryogenic helium gas, enabling voltage operation of 20 kV, providing the CORC cable with a power rating of as high as 200 MW. We will determine feasible dielectric materials and application methods that would prevent helium penetration into the dielectric and would result in a robust and cost-effective fully encapsulated dielectric.