Experimental Characterisation of Superconducting Cables (EPSRC Institutional Sponsorship Funding)

Funded via EPSRC Institutional Sponsorship Funding (£18,215). This project was proposed to experimentally characterize the response of superconducting cables for a TeDP aircraft under fault conditions, enabling the validatation of existing models, underpinning the development of the electrical protection system. Experimental testing of superconducting power systems in this manner is challenging due to the specialist skills and equipment required, and no single research institution currently has this capability. However, there is a unique collaborative opportunity to combine the electrical fault emulation capability and fault management expertise at the University of Strathclyde with the superconducting cable design expertise and test facilities at the University of Bath (lead by Dr Weijia Yuan) to undertake this fundamental research. The initial study proposed aimed to pump-prime and enable positioning for a future, longer term collaborative project between the Universities of Bath and Strathclyde to extend the research to include different types of cables, quench recovery of cables and further failure mode studies.

A better understanding of how superconducting cables respond to high pulses of current due to an electrical fault, in order to enable appropriate electrical protection systems to be developed. This is of particular interest for future aircraft that will have electrically driven propulsion to meet emissions and noise targets, for which it is proposed that superconducting power systems are used to meet power density requirements. This initial project aimed to validate computer simulation models of the superconducting cables, bringing together expertise from the Univeristies of Strathclyde (electrical power systems) and Bath (superconducting technologies), and provide a basis for longer term research collaboration.

Experimentally validated, model of superconducting cable quenching in response to fault current.

This project was conducted collaboratively with the University of Bath, linking their superconducting technology laboratory facilities and expertise with the University of Strathclyde's expertise on electrical power systems.