Ac loss modelling and measurement of superconducting transformers with coated-conductor Roebel-cable in low-voltage winding

Power transformers using a high temperature superconductor (HTS) ReBCO coated conductor and liquid nitrogen dielectric have many potential advantages over conventional transformers. The ac loss in the windings complicates the cryogenics and reduces the efficiency, and hence it needs to be predicted in its design, usually by numerical calculations. This article presents detailed modelling of superconducting transformers with Roebel cable in the low-voltage (LV) winding and a high-voltage (HV) winding with more than 1000 turns. First, we model a 1 MVA 11 kV/415 V 3-phase transformer. The Roebel cable solenoid forming the LV winding is also analyzed as a stand-alone coil. Agreement between calculations and experiments of the 1 MVA transformer supports the model validity for a larger tentative 40 MVA 110 kV/11 kV 3-phase transformer design. We found that the ac loss in each winding is much lower when it is inserted in the transformer than as a stand-alone coil. The ac loss in the 1 and 40 MVA transformers is dominated by the LV and HV windings, respectively. Finally, the ratio of total loss over rated power of the 40 MVA transformer is reduced below 40% of that of the 1 MVA transformer. In conclusion, the modelling tool in this work can reliably predict the ac loss in real power applications.