Optimization of Cryostat for Gaseous H₂ Cooled High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) Power Cables

A dynamic mathematical model is developed to study the flexible cryostat for high temperature superconducting (HTS) cable. The physics-based model aims to obtain the optimal internal geometry for minimum total power consumption during the circulation of gaseous cryogenic fluids such as hydrogen and helium used to cool HTS cables. The volume element method (VEM) was used to construct a set of time dependent ordinary differential equations (ODE) for the cable temperature map. The analysis included the cable fluid pressure drop in the channels and spatial temperature distribution in the flow direction. A parametric study was reported to optimize design and operating parameters for minimum total power consumption, combined cable heat leak rate, and pumping power under a constant cable cross sectional area as the constraint. Two-way optimized (2wo) aspect ratios of cryostat are obtained. The dimensionless model is suitable for obtaining the optima agnostic to cooling gas medium and can be used for both hydrogen and helium-cooled HTS cable systems of electric aircraft and ships.