Design, development, and testing of a 6.6 MVA HTS traction transformer for high-speed train applications

Zhao, X. et al. (2023) Design, development, and testing of a 6.6 MVA HTS traction transformer for high-speed train applications. Superconductor Science and Technology, 36, 085009. (doi: 10.1088/1361-6668/acdcbf)

Abstract

High-temperature superconducting traction transformers (HTSTT) have the merits of small size and lightweight in comparison with their conventional counterparts. This article reports the development progress of a 6.6 MVA HTSTT operating at 65 K, including the design, testing, and system cooling. The introduction of flux diverters and an optimized winding design realized a short-circuit impedance higher than 43% and AC loss less than 3 kW. The insulation structure was designed to pass insulation tests specified in standard in China GB/T 25120-2010. An open cooling system with reduced pressure was developed, which realized the efficiency of the 6.6 MVA HTSTT above 99%. Before assembling the prototype transformer, we conducted tests for critical current and dielectric performance of the HTS double pancake coils (DPC) used in high-voltage (HV) and low- voltage (LV) windings to verify the current-carrying and insulation performances of each DPC. Finally, we measured the critical current and no-load loss of the HTSTT prototype at 77 K. Test results showed that the mass of the transformer is 33% less than conventional transformers. At 77 K, the critical current of the LV winding and HV winding is higher than 700 A and 50 A, respectively. Moreover, the HTSTT on a no-load test reached the test voltage of 25,000 V and loss of 6 kW. In the next step, we will continue to conduct experimental research, and verify the feasibility of the HTSTT on the train, and develop a circulating cooling system, all meeting the commercial requirements of the HTSTT.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Song, Dr Wenjuan
• Authors: Zhao, X., Fang, J., Jiang, Z., Song, W., Liu, N., Li, Y., Li, X., Zeng, F., Xia, Y., Badcock, R., Long, N. J., Staines, M. P., Buckley, R. G., Fang, X., Gao, Y., Liu, B., Zhang, J., Han, W., Li, L., Wang, J., and Gao, P.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Autonomous Systems and Connectivity
• Journal Name: Superconductor Science and Technology
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• ISSN: 0953-2048
• ISSN (Online): 1361-6668
• Published Online: 08 June 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 IOP Publishing Ltd
• First Published: First published in Superconductor Science and Technology 36:085009
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy