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4 - Superconducting Machines and Cables

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2022

By
Thanatheepan Balachandran ,
Timothy Haugan  and
Kiruba Haran
Edited by
Kiruba Haran ,
Nateri Madavan  and
Tim C. O'Connell
Kiruba Haran
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Nateri Madavan
Affiliation:
NASA Aeronautics Mission Directorate, NASA
Tim C. O'Connell
Affiliation:
P.C. Krause & Associates
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Summary

Electrified aircraft propulsion (EAP) in large commercial aircraft demands electric machines (EMs) with power densities and efficiencies far beyond those of current state-of-the-art technologies. At fixed speed, EM power density can only be increased with electromagnetic loading. Ohmic losses in conventional conductors impose fundamental limits on this, but superconducting (SC) wires eliminate Ohmic losses at cryogenic temperatures. SC machine windings enable large electromagnetic loading increases, resulting in high-power density machines without gearboxes. SC machines are an attractive long-term option for EAP, offering several advantages: high specific power and efficiency, and reduced thermal management challenges and risks of partial discharge and arcing. This chapter introduces SC physics and key EAP SC machine design considerations. It presents several SC machine topologies currently being researched, including a detailed assessment of challenges unique to EAP applications, namely, ac losses in superconducting coils and the need for compact cryocoolers. Finally, the physics and advantages of SC cables are presented, followed by a look at future SC technology trends.

Keywords

superconducting machineelectromagnetic loadingcryogenicOhmic losseshigh specific powercritical surfacesuperconductorfully superconductingpartially superconductingsuperconducting cable
Type
Chapter
Information
Electrified Aircraft Propulsion
Powering the Future of Air Transportation
 , pp. 88 - 129
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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