The SuperCable:Dual Delivery of Chemical and Electric Power

Paul M. GrantEPRI Science Fellow (retired)

IBM Research Staff Member EmeritusPrincipal, W2AGZ Technologies

w2agz@pacbell.netwww.w2agz.com

Applied Superconductivity Conference 20043-8 October 2004, Jacksonville, FLSession: HTS Power Cables – III

Paper: 1LT06, Monday 4 October 2004, 5:30 PM

“The Great Communicator”

Earth at Night - 2000

Earth at Night - 2050

“The Present Grid”

Wired Magazine, June 2001

Californication!

Reading Assignment1. Garwin and Matisoo, 1967 (100 GW on Nb3Sn)2. Bartlit, Edeskuty and Hammel, 1972 (LH2, LNG and

1 GW on LTSC)3. Haney and Hammond, 1977 (Slush LH2 and Nb3Ge)4. Schoenung, Hassenzahl and Grant, 1987 (5 GW on

HTSC, 1000 km)5. Grant, 2002 (SuperCity, Nukes+LH2+HTSC)6. Proceedings, SuperGrid Workshop, 2002

These articles, and much more, can be found at www.w2agz.com, sub-pages SuperGrid/Bibliography

Past & Future Energy Supply

Year (Modern Era)

Rel

ativ

e U

nits

Fission

Hydrogen

The Hydrogen Economy

• You have to make it, just like electricity• Electricity can make H2, and H2 can make

electricity (2H2O 2H2 + O2)• You have to make a lot of it• You can make it cold, - 419 F (21 K)

P.M. Grant, “Hydrogen lifts off…with a heavy load,” Nature 424, 129 (2003)

P.M. Grant, The Industrial Physicist, Feb/March Issue, 2002

SupermarketSchool Home

Family Car

DNA-to-order.com

Nuclearplant

H2

H2

HTSC/MgB2

SuperCity

Diablo Canyon

California Coast Power

Diablo Canyon2200 MWPower Plant

Wind FarmEquivalent

Co-Production of Hydrogen and Electricity

Source: INEL & General Atomics

ReactorVessel

O2

Source: General Atomics

Nuclear “Hydricity” Production Farm

“Hydricity” SuperCables

+v I-v

I

H2 H2

Circuit #1 +v I-v

I

H2 H2

Circuit #2

Multiple circuitscan be laid in single trench

SuperCable MonopoleHV Insulation

“Super-Insulation”

Superconductor

Hydrogen

DO

DH2

tsc

Electric & H2 Power

0.12525,000100,000+/- 50001000

Annular Wall Thickness

(cm)

Critical Current Density (A/cm2)

Current (A)Voltage (V)Power (MW)

Electricity

3183.8110500

“Equivalent” Current Density

(A/cm2)

H2 Flow Rate (m/sec)

Inner Pipe Diameter, DH2

(cm)

Power (MW)

Hydrogen (LH2, 20 K)

SuperCable H2 Storage

32201.6TVA Raccoon Mountain

20201Alabama CAES

881Scaled ETM SMES

Energy (GWh)Storage (hrs)Power (GW)

Some Storage Factoids

One Raccoon Mountain = 13,800 cubic meters of LH2

LH2 in 10 cm diameter, 250 mile bipolar SuperCable= Raccoon Mountain

Relative Density of H2 as a Function of Pressure at 77 K wrt LH2 at 1 atm

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000Pressure (psia)

Rho

(H2)

/Rho

(LH2

)

Vapor

Supercritical

50% LH2

100% LH2

H2 Gas at 77 K and 1850 psia has 50% of the energy content of liquid H2and 100% at 6800 psia

H2 - Gas SuperCable

Electrical Insulation

“Super-Insulation”

Superconductor

Supercritical Hydrogen @ 77 K

1000 – 7000 psia

Liquid Nitrogen @ 77 K

Electricity Generation - June 2004

Coal49%

Oil2%Hydro

7%

Nukes20%

Gas18%

Renewable2%

Al-Can Gas Pipeline

Proposals

Mackenzie Valley Pipeline

1300 km

18 GW-thermal

Electrical Insulation

“Super-Insulation”

Superconductor

LNG @ 105 K1 atm (14.2 psia)

Liquid Nitrogen @ 77 K

Thermal Barrier to LNG

LNG SuperCable

SuperCable Prototype Project

H2 e–

H2 Storage SMES

Cryo I/C Station

500 m Prototype

“Appropriate National Laboratory”2005-09

Regional System Interconnections