The tests were carried out on the Izuhakone Railway's 20km Sunzu Line from Mishima to Shuzenji, which is electrified at 1.5kV dc.
Superconducting wire was used to link ac-dc transformers at a substation to the traction supply system, and the cable was cooled to -196 degrees celcius.
RTRI says that because superconducting cable has low electrical resistance, significant energy savings are possible and voltage stability can be increased. This is a particular advantage on dc electrification systems because voltage drops as the distance from the substation increases. This can limit the effectiveness of regenerative braking systems, which are only fully effective if there is another train nearby to use the energy generated by braking. With greater current stability, regenerative brakes can operate more effectively.
Majaribio hayo yalifanywa kwenye reli ya Izuhakone ya 20km ya Sunzu Line kutoka Mishima hadi Shizuoka, ambayo ina umeme wa 1.5kV DC. Wire superconducting ilitumika kuunganisha AC-DC transformers katika substation kwa traction mfumo wa usambazaji, na cable ilikuwa baridi kwa -196 ° C. RTRI inasema kwamba kwa sababu kebo superconducting ina chini ya upinzani wa umeme, kiasi kikubwa cha nishati inawezekana na voltage utulivu inaweza kuongezeka. Hii ni faida maalum juu ya mifumo ya umeme wa DC kwa sababu voltage hupungua kama umbali kutoka kwa kituo cha chini huongezeka. Hii inaweza kupunguza ufanisi wa mifumo ya kurejeshwa ya kurejeshwa, ambayo ni ufanisi tu ikiwa kuna treni nyingine karibu kutumia nishati inayotokana na kurejeshwa. Kwa uthabiti mkubwa wa sasa, breki za kurudisha nyuma zinaweza kufanya kazi kwa ufanisi zaidi.