A HIGH POWER LIQUID NITROGEN COOLED INTERRUPTER FOR FUSION POWER CONDITIONING

THIS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WILL PRODUCE A LIQUID-NITROGEN-(LN) COOLED, SUPERCONDUCTING VERY HIGH POWER CIRCUIT BREAKER. THE MECHANICAL CIRCUIT BREAKER WILL BE VERY COMPACT AND HIGH SPEED. LN'S HIGH DIELECTRIC STRENGTH, HIGH HEAT CAPACITY, HIGH HEAT OF VAPORIZATION, HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, LOW COMPRESSIBILITY, AND LOW BREAKDOWN RESIDUE MAKE IT AN IDEAL INSULATING, COOLING, AND INTERRUPTING MEDIUM. LN ALSO IS NON-TOXIC INEXPENSIVE, AND NON-FLAMMABLE. THE LIQUID-NITROGEN CIRCUIT BREAKER (LNCB) CAN REMAIN IN THE NORMAL STATE AND STILL BENEFIT FROM AN INCREASE IN COPPER CONDUCTIVITY BY A FACTOR OF SEVEN AT LN TEMPERATURES, THUS PERMITTING SMALL SIZE, HIGH SPEED, AND LOW LOSS. INTERRUPTING CAPABILITY AS A FUNCTION OF NITROGENFLOW AND CONTACT GEOMETRY, AS WELL AS COMPATIBILITY WITH PRESENT AND HIGH TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTING MATERIALS OF THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, WILL BE INVESTIGATED.