Finite Element Model for Temperature Distribution Calculation of HTS Cable Based on Experiment Data

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) cables offer significant enhancements to power transmission capacity, displaying the promising potential for high-density urban power transmission systems. Currently, China's first independently developed 400 m/10 kV/2.5 kA triaxial HTS YBCO CORC cable is undergoing trial operations, aimed at assessing the control capabilities and stability of its associated systems. To better monitor and protect the cable after it is connected to the power grid and put into operation officially, it is necessary to develop a model of the cable as accurately as possible to analyze its thermal characteristics. Leveraging the experimental data obtained from trial operations, a previously proposed 2-D axisymmetric finite element (FE) model of the cable was improved after a reassessment of thermal loads, and the effectiveness of its modeling method was then verified. This modified model not only affords high computational efficiency but also maintains small errors across both steady and dynamic operational processes, which has significant advantages in engineering applications and provides robust support for subsequent engineering experiments and calculations.