【Cable Network News】
Superconducting cables hailed as a miracle in the field of electrical connections, are currently attracting widespread attention and becoming a hot topic. Particularly, recent breakthroughs in superconductor research under normal temperature and pressure conditions are leading a new round of technological revolution.
As society is on the verge of a fully electrified future, enhancing the urban power supply has become particularly urgent. Electricity, as the main source of energy, must ensure 100% reliability in power supply.
Why Choose Superconductors?
As a miracle in the field of electrical connections, superconducting cables have unique advantages that perfectly meet the needs of modern urban large-capacity electrification projects. First, superconducting cables can carry extremely high currents, far exceeding the capacity of traditional copper or aluminum cables, making it possible to transmit and distribute electricity at lower voltages. This means that the need for substations in city centers can be reduced, thereby significantly saving costs. Second, superconductors are small in volume but can transmit huge power. For example, a superconducting cable with a diameter of only 17 centimeters can transmit 3.2 gigawatts of power, enough to meet the electricity needs of a large city. Lastly, superconducting cables do not generate heat and can completely shield electromagnetic interference, not disturbing the complex network of electricity, telecommunications, and pipelines in the city.
Moreover, the efficiency of superconductors is also astonishing. Superconducting cables produce almost no resistance when transmitting alternating current, and no resistance when transmitting direct current, resulting in very little energy loss.
Application of Superconducting Cables in Railways
Nexans, in collaboration with the French National Railway Company (SNCF), has embarked on a pioneering project to power the Montparnasse station in Paris using superconducting cables. Similar to the challenge of upgrading urban center power, the main issue faced by Montparnasse station was introducing a new power supply system without destroying the surrounding roads, a process that could be very lengthy, expensive, and cause significant damage.
Superconducting cables can perfectly solve this problem. Nexans adopted a solution that only used two cables, each with a diameter of less than 100 millimeters, making them very easy to pass through existing pipelines. Despite their small size, each cable can transmit 5.3 megawatts of power (or 3500 amperes of current at 1500 volts DC), which is a tremendous amount of electrical energy.
Future Prospects
The Montparnasse project highlights the enormous potential of superconducting cable systems in enhancing urban power supply.
Superconducting cable systems will play an increasingly important role in meeting the growing electricity demand. In addition to meeting the ever-increasing demand for super-large electricity, superconducting systems will also play a key role in improving the resilience of urban power networks.
