Field-Serviceable Superconducting Cable Housing

Legacy copper-based power distribution and degaussing cables will not be able to meet the future requirements of Navy ships and submarines. While cable systems employing high-temperature superconductors (HTS) have the potential to meet this need, further development work is required to improve the performance and increase the technology readiness level of key system components. The proposed work focuses on the cryostats used to encase the cryogenic HTS cables used in a shipboard HTS degaussing system. Currently, HTS cryostats are made in the factory at predetermined lengths and cannot be modified during installation. This can be problematic during shipyard installation because it is difficult to precisely determine the required length, and cryostats often need to be rerouted relative to initial installation plans. Creare developed a modularized HTS cryostat that will provide the much needed flexibility to tailor the cryostat length and apply end connections at the time of installation. In Phase I we completed a proof-of-concept demonstration of our Field Serviceable Cryostat (FSC) approach for superconducting degaussing and power cables. In Phase II we will fabricate and test a full-scale prototype FSC and deliver it to the Navy.