CURRENT LEAD FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTING (HTS) CABLE AND DESIGN METHOD THEREOF

The present disclosure provides a current lead structure for a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cable and a design method thereof. The current lead structure includes a plurality of metal rods arranged in parallel at a preset interval along an axial direction of a current lead, where the metal rod includes a first lead segment, a second lead segment, and a third lead segment; a bottom end of the first lead segment is in contact with a liquid nitrogen level, and a top end of the first lead segment is connected to a bottom end of the second lead segment; a top end of the second lead segment is connected to a bottom end of the third lead segment, and a top end of the third lead segment is connected to a room-temperature wiring terminal; the first lead segment and the third lead segment are solid metal rods, and the second lead segment is a hollow metal rod; and the top end of the second lead segment is not higher than a position of an epoxy board. A hollow groove is formed inside to form a simple structure, which significantly optimizes a thermal field distribution, reduces a heat leakage of the current lead, and provides a reliable support for the subsequent design of the current lead. A current lead with the structure is easy to manufacture, install, and maintain, which is conducive to engineering promotion and application. Step 1: measure a distance between the liquid nitrogen level in a terminal of the HTS cable and the room-temperature wiring terminal, and a distance between the liquid nitrogen level and the epoxy board; and determine lengths of the first lead segment, the second lead segment, and the third lead segment ofthe current lead separately Step 2: measure an outer diameter of the current lead, and set an initial value of an inner diameter ofthe second lead segment of the current lead based on a rated current ofthe current lead Step 3: measure a temperature of the liquid nitrogen level, a temperature of the position of the epoxy board, and a temperature of the room-temperature wiring terminal Step 4: based on a coupling model of a thermal field and an electric field ofthe current lead, and with a minimum heat leakage ofthe current lead as an objective function, use a simulation method to optimize the length and the inner diameter of the second lead segment starting from the initial value of the inner diameter of the second lead segment Step 5: re-determine the lengths of the first lead segment and the third lead segment of the current lead