MgB<sub>2</sub>-Based MVDC Superconducting Power Cable in Liquid Hydrogen for Hybrid Energy Distribution
Christian-Éric Bruzek, Tiziana Spina, Umberto Melaccio, M. Tropeano, Adela Marian, Antonio Morandi, F Gömöry, P Kováč, Wolfgang Reiser, Stéphane Holé, Nicolas Lallouet, Tommaso Iannaccone, Julien Roudaut, N. Magnusson
Abstract
The combination of liquid hydrogen and superconducting cables presents a unique opportunity to distribute both hydrogen and bulk electricity in the same infrastructure. In particular, liquid hydrogen around 20 K is ideally suited for cooling the MgB <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> superconductor, resulting in a compact power cable that also leaves sufficient place for the hydrogen flow. Such a hybrid system operating in the MVDC range at 25 kV and 20 kA constitutes one of the main goals of the European project SCARLET. After a description of the rationale and benefits of the electricity – hydrogen system, various possible applications and a first distribution system are presented. Furthermore, the different cable components already designed are discussed along with the research challenges and general strategy for the development.