Proposed is an innovative solution for development of a cooled high-current bus system. Higher Power Engineering (HPE) proposes to design and develop a system which utilizes oil cooling and also provides compact electrical insulation to excel well beyond the required 10kV of the Topic. The concept is based on well-known and proven design. The approach will concentrate on providing a high level movement for connection of the Navy rail gun and its expected recoil action. The design is based on provided performance calculations of a system witch addresses skin effect, magnetic forces, and thermal issues of the bus. The device can flex to move for recoil actions of the rail gun. HPE performed similar cooled bus systems for the Navy under previous contracts in the past and so can offer that experience to enhance the feasibility of a successful program. The Phase I effort will provide a design and technical evaluation of the proposed system. The Phase I Option program will develop and test a scaled bus prototype. The entire program is conceived to provide a firm foundation for a full-scale working prototype under Phase II funding.
Benefit: Each year the need for high current bus systems increases in military, commercial, and industrial markets. Many industrial applications, like arc furnaces, could benefit greatly by this technology. Other positive applications include high power wind turbines which require a rotating power connection from the nacelle to the foundation equipment. The oil cooled aspect provides exceptional insulation capability for use on most utility high voltage applications.
Keywords: High-Current Conductor, High-Current Conductor, Cooled Duct, Flexible Bus, Oil Insulated Conductor, Coaxial Bus
