1. Electric Power Research Institute of Guangdong Power Grid Co., Ltd.,Guangzhou 510062, China
2. Joint Laboratory on Power Superconducting Technology of China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510080, China
3. Northwest Institute for Nonferrous Metal Research, Xi’an 710016, China
To address the severe selffield degradation and low utilization of compact 1 kA-class high-temperature superconducting current leads under high currentcarrying conditions, this paper presents an optimized structural design of the conventional densely stacked configuration, based on theoretical analysis, numerical simulation and experimental validation. First, a one-dimensional analytical model and COMSOL finite-element simulation were used to systematically analyze the thermal performance of the heat-exchanger section and determine the optimal length-to-cross-section ratio. Second, a 10×2 distributed array layout was proposed, and the heat-exchanger section sample was fabricated on an FR-4 support skeleton. Finally, current-carrying tests were carried out at 77 K in a liquid-nitrogen environment for both the optimized and conventional structures. The results show that the optimized structural design reduces the self-induced field strength by 60.8% compared with the traditional densely stacked configuration, raising the critical current retention rate from 55% to 80% (where “critical current retention rate” is defined as the ratio of the critical current under the operating magnetic field to that under zero field). Moreover, the design maintains a compact footprint (Φ44 mm×362 mm),efficient heat dissipation and ease of maintenance, demonstrating excellent electrical transport stability and high reliability with broad application prospects.