Loss characteristic analysis of high capacity HTS DC power cable considering harmonic current

High temperature superconducting (HIS) power cables offer an innovative transmission line that differs from conventional technologies because HTS power cables can send bulk power with extremely low loss. This paper investigates the loss characteristic of HTS DC power cable considering harmonic current caused by power electronic devices in practical power systems. We focused on the losses of HTS DC power cables and designed a model cable using YBa2Cu3O7 HTS wire. The losses under DC current with harmonic components at 77 K are measured. The lower DC transport current yields more losses with the same ripple current in the unsaturated region. If DC transport current is increased within the critical current, the high frequency ripple current will have less influence on the loss. It was clearly monitored that the losses are proportional to the magnitude of the ripple current and the frequency in this study. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.