Analysis of electrical coupling parameters in superconducting cables

The analysis of current distribution and re-distribution in superconducting cables requires the knowledge of the electric coupling among strands, and in particular the interstrand resistance and inductance values. In practice both parameters can have wide variations in cables commonly used such as Rutherford cables for accelerators or Cable-in-Conduits for fusion and SMES magnets. In this paper we describe a model of a multi-stage twisted cable with arbitrary geometry that can be used to study the range of interstrand resistances and inductances that is associated with variations of geometry. These variations can be due to cabling or compaction effects. To describe the variations from the nominal geometry we have adopted a cable model that resembles to the physical process of cabling and compaction. The inductance calculation part of the model is validated by comparison to semi-analytical results, showing excellent accuracy and execution speed. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.