wiredinUSA May 2013

Superconductor technology moves on?

Several other international parties are working on HTS technology, including US-based AMSC with its 10MW direct-drive turbine, SeaTitan. GE's Hydrogenie uses superconductors operating at 43 Kelvin (–230°C) instead of common generator rotor winding copper wires. According to GE developers, superconductivity could until recently only be achieved at around 4 Kelvin (–269°C). The new superconductors exhibit the phenomenon at substantially higher temperatures, requiring less-complex insulation systems and less powerful coolingdevices. They are manufactured by depositing a superconducting ceramic layer onto a relatively cheap base metal. As there is virtually no electrical resistance at –230°C, the cross-section of the wires can be reduced to around 2 percent of that of a copper wire of similar capacity. As a result, many more windings can be fitted into an electromagnet – hence a compact, lightweight design.

GE Power Conversion may have developed a new component for direct drive wind turbines with its announcement of the successful trial of a high-temperature superconductor (HTS) generator called Hydrogenie. Compared to conventional generators of similar power rating, HTS enables compact generator units with much reduced mass. The greatest benefits in terms of size and mass are for high-torque electric machines such as direct-drive wind turbine generators.

wiredInUSA - May 2013 i I

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