HTS machine laboratory prototype

High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) electrical machines have the potential to offer outstanding technical performance with regards to efficiency and power density. However, the industry needs to address a large number of challenges in the attempt to harvest the full potential of HTS machines. Among others a few stand out, e.g. reliability and efficiency of thermal insulation and cooling systems; optimized torque transfer elements and current leads; commercial availability and competitiveness of HTS material etc.

Also, HTS conductors lack standardization due to their rapid development where many of HTS properties are not known and need to be tested with a specific purpose in mind not just for different types of HTS conductors but also for the same type of HTS conductors made by different manufactures. To address some of these challenges, we have constructed a laboratory prototype HTS machine.

The machine comprises six stationary HTS field windings wound from both YBCO and BiSCOO tape operated at liquid nitrogen temperature and enclosed in a cryostat, and a three phase armature winding spinning at up to 300 rpm. This design has full functionality of HTS synchronous machines. The design details and experimental results are shown together with discussions about their implication for scaled up HTS machines.