Research on Current Distribution Characteristics of the Superconducting Cable with YBCO Tapes

For high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables carrying substantial currents, the current carrying capacity of a single YBCO tape is limited, and multiple tapes need to be connected in parallel. The current sharing design of parallel YBCO tapes has emerged as a central concern in the HTS cable design. However, various tape parameters, including critical current I_c , n -value, and joint resistance, can significantly influence the current distribution in the system. In this paper, the influence of YBCO tape parameters on the current distribution characteristics of the cable was studied. The results showed that the current distribution and quench characteristics were regulated by tape I_c , tape n -value, and tape joint resistance together, and that meanwhile, the total current also served as an important factor. Significant influence of the joint resistance was also observed in the event of a limited total current, which was no longer obvious for a total current close to the total I_c . For the parallel tapes with the same I_c , the one with higher resistance quenched later, while in the case of the same resistance, the effect of the tape I_c is greater than that of the tape n -value.