Optimal Design and Experimental Study on Gas Cooled Current Lead With Varying Cross-Section

The heat leakage of the current lead which connects the power supply and superconducting equipment are very important for a stable and economical operation of critical superconducting devices. An improved segment algorithm is used to obtain the optimal length and cross-section of a gas cooled current lead with varying cross-sections. Based on the improved method, we have designed a current lead with varying cross-section for the critical current test of HTS YBCO tapes with less conductive heat loss. Finally the temperature distribution of the current lead are measured experimentally. The experimental results are in agreement with the design, which proves the optimization effect of the current lead. The optimal design method and experimental research contribute to the utility of HTS current leads.