Electric motors using superconducting materials applied to power generating station equipment

The application of high temperature superconductors (HTSC) to electric motors is discussed. A synchronous motor with an HTSC field winding is described, and its steady state performance and economic viability is summarized. Large HTSC synchronous motors are predicted to be one-half the size and have one-half the losses of comparably-rated conventional motors. Test rig and prototype motors used for developing design techniques for air core superconducting synchronous motors are described, and test results are discussed. HTSC coil testing techniques and results are discussed. These test results indicate that HTSC wire performance is rapidly improving toward the required performance for large HTSC motors. Finally, a design and analysis study of a 5000-horsepower motor is summarized. overall, this report describes an ongoing comprehensive superconducting motor research program that is using state-of-the-art HTSC coils to build prototype motors and developing designs for future large HTSC motors.