Conduction-Cooled HTS Windings With Interlocked Rotor Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Implementing high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials in high-powered electric motors faces challenges such as tension buildup, Lorentz forces, and thermal instability, leading to quenching and performance degradation.
Innovation Solution
A conduction-cooled HTS winding design with mechanically interlocked features, including a thermally and electrically conductive inner ring with a partial slit, ensures uniform winding and secure anchoring of HTS tape, reducing bending stresses and enhancing structural integrity and thermal conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If HTS tapes are wound with a large number of turns to achieve MW-scale power, then the motor power output is improved, but tension buildup and Lorentz forces cause delamination and buckling
Solution Approach 1:
The HTS winding is divided into multiple discrete pancakes or coils that are stacked together. Each pancake is independently supported by a spoke structure, distributing the mechanical stresses (Lorentz forces and tension) across multiple support points rather than allowing continuous stress buildup. This segmentation prevents delamination and buckling while maintaining the large number of turns needed for MW-scale power output.
Solution Approach 2:
The windings are pre-stressed or pre-compressed during assembly to counteract the Lorentz forces that will act on them during operation. By applying preliminary mechanical compression in the opposite direction of the expected electromagnetic forces, the structure is prepared to resist buckling and delamination before the motor actually operates, thereby maintaining structural integrity at high power levels.
2Power
If liquid cryogenic cooling is used to establish superconductivity, then the motor achieves high power-to-weight ratio, but complex plumbing and supporting systems are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the complex liquid cooling plumbing system by transitioning to a different cooling approach. By using conduction cooling through direct thermal contact with cold plates or heat sinks, the liquid circulation infrastructure (pumps, pipes, valves) is removed, significantly reducing system complexity while maintaining the cryogenic temperatures needed for superconductivity and high power-to-weight ratio.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid-based cooling system is replaced with a solid-based conduction cooling system. Instead of using fluid circulation to remove heat, the patent employs direct thermal conduction through solid heat sinks or cold plates that are thermally coupled to the HTS windings. This mechanical substitution eliminates the need for complex plumbing while maintaining effective heat removal.
3Ease of manufacture
If HTS windings are implemented without mechanical interlocking, then the winding process is simpler, but inner turn tangling and termination resistance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the mechanical support function with the electrical connection function by integrating the spoke structure to simultaneously provide mechanical interlocking for the HTS tapes and serve as the electrical termination path. This combination ensures that the tapes are securely held in place (preventing tangling) while maintaining low electrical resistance connections, thereby improving reliability without significantly complicating the manufacturing process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves quench-free operation and improved mechanical and electrical stability, facilitating mass production and commercial implementation of high-power superconducting motors.
Implementation Method 1
high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials can establish superconductivity at higher temperatures
Implementation Method 2
conduction-cooled motors
Data Source
AI summary
High-temperature superconducting (HTS) windings are provided in winding modules that may be implemented in conduction-cooled electric motors. The motors may be high-powered motors, such as M W-scale (megawatt scale) motors. Each winding module may include an inner ring made from a thermally and electrically conductive material with a half-slit or slit that extends only partially through it to receive an anchoring end of an HTS tape that is used to wind the conductive coil of each HTS winding. A conductive plate with an insulated surface may cover the HTS winding, which may be mounted to a winding holder that attaches to the motor's rotor body. Adjacent winding modules transversely abut each other and are attached to an outer circumferential surface of the motor's rotor frame to provide a tightly packed winding arrangement on the rotor.