Bruker HTS and Nexans Announce Successful Completion of European Superconducting Cable Project
17 March 2009 - 10:00PM
Business Wire
Nexans, the worldwide leader in the cable industry, and Bruker
HTS GmbH today announced the successful conclusion of the
Superconducting Coated Conductor Cable (Super 3C) Project in
which a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) distribution-level
power cable was developed and tested by a European consortium. In
the future, HTS cables are expected to enable power links with
minimized losses, thereby contributing to the reduction of
greenhouse emissions.
The Super 3C Project began in June 2004 and ended with
the successful test of a 30-meter one-phase HTS cable system in
December 2008. The HTS cable achieved its transmitted power target
of 17 MegaWatts. It is one of the first cables in the world using
state-of-the-art second generation (2G) HTS tapes as current
carrying elements. These tapes include a thin HTS layer which
constitutes a perfect conductor of electricity when cooled to
�200�C.
Bruker HTS developed a proprietary HTS-copper hybrid conductor
which facilitates reliable manufacturing and operation of new power
cables using HTS technology. The 2G hybrid conductor utilizes the
advantages of both superconductivity and copper, enabling it to
work and interconnect smoothly with conventional network
components. In the course of the project, Nexans and Bruker HTS
jointly developed and implemented sophisticated methods for
assembling the 2G hybrid conductors in the cable. Altogether,
Bruker HTS manufactured and tested nearly 4,000 meters of 2G hybrid
superconductors for the Super 3C cable.
Nexans manufactured the Super 3C cable, including the
cryogenic envelope which allows the temperature of the cable core
to be maintained at �200�C in a flow of liquid nitrogen. Nexans
also developed and manufactured specific cable terminations for
this project.
The 5.2 million Euros project was funded in June 2004 with a 2.7
million Euros grant by the European Union under its 6th Framework
Programme for Research and Technological Development. Nexans acted
as the project coordinator. Bruker HTS was responsible for the
largest single work package, specifically the development and
delivery of 2G HTS conductors for the cable.
Jean-Maxime Saugrain, Nexans Superconductor Activity Manager and
Super 3C Project Coordinator, stated: �We are proud of this
achievement and it demonstrates the leading role Europe can take in
developing new ideas to reduce greenhouse emissions and to enable
more efficient, flexible and reliable energy technologies. It is of
immense significance for Europe�s competitiveness in the emerging
market for efficient HTS solutions.�
Dr. Burkhard Prause, Managing Director of Bruker HTS, added:
�The Super 3C project was an enormous boost for our advanced
2G superconductors and demonstrated their performance and
reliability under industrial conditions. I am proud of the team
that achieved this and congratulate the entire consortium on this
success. It is an important watermark for efficient HTS solutions
in Europe and throughout the world.�
Seven additional European partners participated in the project,
including EON AG (Germany), which provided utility system
requirements; the Tampere University of Technology (Finland), which
led the cable modeling task with the support of the Bratislava
Institute of Electrical Engineering (Slovakia); Instituto de
Ciencia de Materials de Barcelona (Spain) and ZFW (Germany), which
together supported the HTS tape development and characterization;
and Labein Tecnalia (Spain), which led the cable testing program
with the support of Air Liquide (France), which provided the liquid
nitrogen cooling system.
About Nexans
With energy as the basis of its development, Nexans, the
worldwide leader in the cable industry, offers an extensive range
of cables and cabling systems. The Group is a global player in the
infrastructure, industry, building and Local Area Network markets.
Nexans addresses a series of market segments from energy, transport
and telecom networks to shipbuilding, oil and gas, nuclear power,
automotive, electronics, aeronautics, handling and automation. With
an industrial presence in 39 countries and commercial activities
worldwide, Nexans employs 23,500 people and had sales in 2008 of
6.8 billion Euros. Nexans is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris,
compartment A. More information on www.nexans.com.
About Bruker HTS/Bruker Advanced Supercon:
Bruker HTS GmbH is based near Frankfurt, Germany and is part of
the Bruker Advanced Supercon division of Bruker Corporation
(NASDAQ: BRKR). In addition to Bruker HTS, the Bruker Advanced
Supercon business also includes Bruker EAS in Germany, Hydrostatic
Extrusions Limited in Scotland, and Bruker Advanced Supercon, Inc.
in the United States. Bruker HTS is a leading manufacturer of both
1G BSSCO and 2G YBCO HTS materials and devices, based on its broad
HTS technology platform. Bruker HTS solutions enhance the
reliability and efficiency of electrical power grids and large
energy demanding applications. Its proprietary SuperFast�
superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) has the potential to
enhance power grid reliability, and its HTS current lead products
dramatically reduce electrical losses in large industrial and
research magnets. Conductors and components made by Bruker HTS are
being used to build a new generation of compact high power devices
such as HTS motors, generators, cables and transformers, as well as
high field magnets for medical and research applications. For more
information: www.advancedsupercon.com.
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