Superconducting Wireless Power Transfer System for Long-Range Energy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless power transfer systems face limitations in efficiency and range due to resistive, dielectric, and radiative losses, making them unsuitable for long-range applications such as on-orbit power transfer between satellite clusters or lunar surface power distribution.
Innovation Solution
The system employs superconducting materials for oscillators and capacitors, minimizes dielectric components, and operates at reduced frequencies to reduce ohmic and radiative losses, using a booster resonator coil and a magnetic field to enhance dielectric strength, enabling efficient long-range wireless power transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If standard conductors are used in resonant inductive coupling systems, then the system can operate at higher frequencies (10 MHz range), but resistive losses increase significantly reducing power transfer efficiency at long ranges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from standard conductor to superconducting material, which fundamentally alters the resistive loss characteristics. This parameter change allows the system to operate at lower frequencies (below 1 MHz) with dramatically reduced resistive losses, enabling long-range power transfer while maintaining efficiency.
2Productivity
If the operating frequency is increased to improve power transfer rate, then power delivery speed increases, but radiative losses increase reducing overall efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operating frequency parameter from the conventional 10 MHz range to below 1 MHz. This parameter change reduces radiative losses proportionally to the frequency reduction while still enabling practical power transfer rates through the use of superconducting materials that minimize other loss mechanisms.
3Volume of moving object
If dielectric materials are used in capacitor components, then the capacitive elements can be compact and efficient, but dielectric losses increase reducing system efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the dielectric material from the capacitor structure, creating a dielectric-less capacitive element. This is achieved by using superconducting materials for the capacitor plates and relying on the superconducting property to maintain efficiency without the need for dielectric insulation, thereby eliminating dielectric losses entirely.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional conductors are used for oscillators, then the system structure is simpler to manufacture, but ohmic losses increase reducing power transfer efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the oscillator from conventional conductor to superconducting material. This parameter change dramatically reduces ohmic losses while the manufacturing complexity is managed through specialized superconducting wire and coil fabrication techniques that, while more complex than conventional wiring, are well-established in cryogenic and high-field applications.
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
This approach achieves high efficiency and extended range power transfer, with efficiencies up to 95% at 100 meters and potentially 50% at 2.5 kilometers, while maintaining effective power delivery and minimizing environmental interactions.
Implementation Method 1
The oscillators are formed as superconductive dielectric-less compact (flat) coils coupled to dielectric-less (and preferably superconductive) capacitors
Implementation Method 2
The non-radiative energy transfer in this system is mediated by a coupling of a resonant field evanescent tail of the first resonator structure and a resonant field evanescent tail of the second resonator structure
Implementation Method 3
Resonant Inductive Coupling pioneered by Nikola Tesla in the early 20th century has later found applications in power transfer systems
Implementation Method 4
a magnetic field is applied axially to the capacitor to increase a breakdown voltage threshold in its air gap, thereby increasing the effective dielectric strength of air in the air gap of the dielectric-less capacitor
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless energy transfer system includes a primary and one (or more) secondary oscillators for transferring energy therebetween when resonating at the same frequency. The long range (up to and beyond 100 m) efficient (as high as and above 50%) energy transfer is achieved due to minimizing (or eliminating) losses in the system. Superconducting materials are used for all current carrying elements, dielectrics are either avoided altogether, or those are used with a low dissipation factor, and the system is operated at reduced frequencies (below 1 MHz). The oscillators are contoured as a compact flat coil formed from a superconducting wire material. The energy wavelengths exceed the coils diameter by several orders of magnitude. The reduction in radiative losses is enhanced by adding external dielectric-less electrical capacitance to each oscillator coil to reduce the operating frequency. The dielectric strength of the capacitor is increased by applying a magnetic cross-field to the capacitor to impede the electrons motion across an air gap defined between coaxial cylindrical electrodes.