[APP2] Magnets, Electric power devices, Rotating machines

[APP2-08] Improving Gas Barrier Properties of PPSU-Coated Tubes for Lightweight Superconducting Aircraft Cables

Mariko Kakitani¹, *Kei Shiohara¹, Michio Sato¹, Tatsuhisa Nakanishi¹, Kazuhisa Adachi¹, Yuta Sudo², Kazunori Suzuki², Soichiro Murakami², Teruo Izumi³, Masataka Iwakuma⁴ (1. SWCC Corporation (Japan), 2. Iwate Industrial Research Institute (Japan), 3. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Japan), 4. Kyushu University (Japan))

Keywords:

Stack cable,resin corrugated tube,REBCO,Coated conductor,Gas barrier properties

The implementation of electric propulsion systems in aircraft is essential for realizing a decarbonized society. To achieve this goal, weight reduction of all electrical components comprising the electric propulsion system is a major challenge. Application of superconducting technology to propulsion systems has attracted attention as one of the effective approaches for reducing the weight of electrical components. In particular, this study focuses on polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) resin, which has a proven track record for use in low-temperature environments, as a lightweight corrugated tube material for superconducting cables [1]. In previous studies, we reported the fabrication of superconducting stacked cables with REBa₂Cu₃Oy coated conductors using metallic corrugated tubes, achieving an excellent current-carrying performance of less than 1.4 kg/kA/m under AC transport currents [2]. For further weight reduction, we replaced the metallic corrugated tube, which accounted for a large portion of the superconducting cable weight, with a PPSU resin corrugated tube. For the practical application of these superconducting cables, circulation cooling with liquid nitrogen as a refrigerant using a vacuum-insulated double-tube structure is essential. The maintenance of vacuum insulation is also required when using a PPSU resin corrugated tube as a coolant channel. However, in general, resin materials have higher gas permeability compared to metals, making them unsuitable as vacuum insulation layers. Therefore, in this study, various coatings were applied to the surface of the PPSU resin corrugated tube to reduce its gas permeability. We investigated the applicability of PPSU resin corrugated tubes to superconducting cables. In this presentation, we report on the coating processes applied to the PPSU resin surface and discuss the effects of coating materials and thickness on gas permeability.
•Acknowledgements (optional)
This study is based on findings obtained from a project, which was subsidized by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
•References
1) K. Shiohara et al. IEEE TransAppl. Super. Vol 35, pp1-4, 2025
2) K. Shiohara et al. IEEE TransAppl. Super. Vol 34, pp1-4, 2024