A study for designing YBCO power transformer

It is highly expected that superconducting transformers, which are characterized by incombustibility, light weight, and compactness, will be used practically for equipment in substations and office buildings sited in urban areas. In recent years, remarkable improvements in the performance of YBaCuO (YBCO) tape wire have been seen. This kind of tape wire has the property that its critical current is large in a highly magnetic field; and, its use is expected to reduce AC loss by applying slit processing on the tape wire, contributing to future cost reductions. In addition, the development of efficient, economical cryogenic units is also expected. The authors have developed a conceptual design for a 66kV/20MVA power transformer using YBCO tape wires, or an YBCO power transformer. As a result, we were able to identify the transformer’s optimal system structure including coil winding comprised of coils and tape wires; and, we confirmed that the devised transformer can made to be both compact and highly efficient.