SUPERCONDUCTING CABLE DESIGN FOR POWER TRANSMISSION WITH DEVELOPMENT IN THE OPEN OCEAN

OAS PROPOSES THE USE OF CONDUIT ENCLOSED SUPERCONDUCTING CABLE WITH INTERNAL LIQUID HELIUM COOLING FOR POWER TRANSMISSION IN THE OPEN OCEAN. NIOBIUM-TITANIUM, NIOBIUM-TIN, AND THE NEWER LANTHANUMCOPPER-BARIUM-OXYGEN COMPOUND WILL BE EVALUATED AS SUPERCONDUCTORS. A COPPER MATRIX CONTAINING NIOBIUM-TITANIUM STRANDS BRAIDED TO WIRES AND TWISTED TO CABLES IS A PREFERRED APPROACH AT THIS TIME. STAINLESS STEEL CONDUITS ENCLOSING CABLE BUNDLES ALSO PROVIDE INTERNAL LIQUID HELIUM CHANNELS FOR COOLING ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE CABLES. NO EXTERNAL DEWARS ARE REQUIRED. THE DESIGN OF A LIQUID NITROGEN JACKET AROUND THE CONDUIT AND MULTIPLE INSULATING LAYERS DEPENDS CRITICALLY UPON THE AD COR DC NATURE OF THE POWER CONDUCTED, THE CABLE LENGTHS, POWER LEVELS ACCOMMODATED, AND METHOD OF CABLE DEPLOYMENT. THESE FACTORS WILL BE EVALUATED AND A COMPLETE CABLE CONFIGURATION SPECIFIED IN PHASE I. METHODS OF JOINING BETWEEN CABLE SECTIONS, AND THE SIZE AND DESIGN OF SMALL INTEGRATED REFRIGERATION AND PUMPING PACKAGES SPACED ALONG THE CABLE LENGTH WILL BE ESTABLISHED. MODIFICATIONS IN CABLE DESIGN TO ACCOMMODATE AIR DEPLOYMENT ALSO WILL BE CONSIDERED.