World's First Air-core Toroidal Superconducting Shunt Reactor Put into Operation in Shanghai

Recently, the world's first 10 kV/1 Mvar Air-core Toroidal Superconducting Shunt Reactor, jointly developed by State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company as the lead developer, together with universities and enterprises including Shanghai Yixi Technology Development Co., Ltd, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Wujiang Transformer Co., Ltd., was officially put into operation.

Members of the superconducting reactor project are putting into operation the No. 1 10 kV superconducting reactor at the 35 kV Gulong Substation.

[Photo via Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company]

The superconducting shunt reactor put into operation this time adopts superconducting materials featuring "Zero Resistance, High Current-carrying Capacity" and is designed with an ironless toroidal topology. It covers an area of less than 6 square meters, operates with a noise level below 60 decibels, and has nearly zero spatial leakage magnetic flux. It can be seamlessly connected to the existing substation system to realize "plug-and-play" integration.

Gulong Substation, where the superconducting reactor is installed, is located in the main urban area of Minhang, serving 22,000 households and many schools. The operation of the superconducting reactor has effectively filled the inductive reactive power compensation gap and significantly improved voltage stability.

This technology is expected to be widely used in scenarios such as the renovation of old urban substations and the construction of new stations, injecting new impetus into the building of a safe, efficient and low-carbon new-type power system.

 (Hu Dian)