EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION COMPENSATION ARRANGEMENT FOR SUPERCONDUCTING CABLES

摘要

A compensation arrangement for accommodating the contraction occurring in superconducting cables as they are cooled down to the operating temperature. The superconducting cable is of the type wherein the superconducting material is applied as a layer on coaxial carrier tubes of electrically normal-conducting material, and the carrier tubes are inserted into a protective tube. The cable is movably guided in the protective tube, and a cover plate is located at an end of the cable and adapted for carrying the current connections and the coolant feed lines to the cable. A corrugated tube is provided for connecting the cover plate with the protective tube. Also, the cover plate is movable relative to the protective tube by means of a servo control in such manner that the connections to the cable remain essentially free of mechanical stresses under the thermal movements that occur.