American Superconductor Corporation

Uchicago Argonne, LLC

American Superconductor Corpration

Alexis P Malozemoff

Douglas C Folts

Martin W Rupich

James F Maguire

Jie Yuan

Gilbert N Riley, Jr

Gregory L Snitchler

Alexander Otto

Cornelis Leo Hans Thieme

Craig J Christopherson

Bruce B Gamble

Elliott D Thompson

Ulrich Welp

Anthony J Rodenbush

Jeffrey M Seuntjens

Steven Fleshler

Dean J Miller

Wai-Kwong Kwok

Darren Verebelyi

William L Barnes

Urs-Detlev Schoop

Cornelis Leo Thieme

A method comprising irradiating a polycrystalline rare earth metal-alkaline earth metal-transition metal-oxide superconductor layer with protons having an energy of 1 to 6 MeV. The irradiating process produces an irradiated layer that comprises randomly dispersed defects with an average diameter in the range of 1-10 nm.

Creation of high-pinning microstructures in post production YBCO coated conductors

A cryogenically-cooled HTS cable is configured to be included within a utility power grid having a maximum fault current that would occur in the absence of the cryogenically-cooled HTS cable. The cryogenically-cooled HTS cable includes a continuous liquid cryogen coolant path for circulating a liquid cryogen. A continuously flexible arrangement of HTS wires has an impedance characteristic that attenuates the maximum fault current by at least 10%. The continuously flexible arrangement of HTS wires is configured to allow the cryogenically-cooled HTS cable to operate, during the occurrence of a maximum fault condition, with a maximum temperature rise within the HTS wires that is low enough to prevent the formation of gas bubbles within the liquid cryogen.

Fault current limiting HTS cable and method of configuring same

A method of controlling fault currents within a utility power grid is provided. The method may include coupling a superconducting electrical path between a first and a second node within the utility power grid and coupling a non-superconducting electrical path between the first and second nodes within the utility power grid. The superconducting electrical path and the non-superconducting electrical path may be electrically connected in parallel. The superconducting electrical path may have a lower series impedance, when operated below a critical current level, than the non-superconducting electrical path. The superconducting electrical path may have a higher series impedance, when operated at or above the critical current level, than the non-superconductor electrical path.

Parallel connected HTS utility device and method of using same

A laminated superconductor wire includes a superconductor wire assembly, which includes a first superconductor insert comprising a first high temperature superconductor layer overlaying a first substrate and a second superconductor insert comprising a second high temperature superconductor layer overlaying a second substrate. The first and second superconductor inserts are joined together at their respective substrates. An electrically conductive structure substantially surrounds the superconductor wire assembly.

Architecture for high temperature superconductor wire

A superconducting transformer system is configured to be included within a utility power grid having a known fault current level. The superconducting transformer system includes a non-superconducting transformer interconnected between a first node and a second node of the utility power grid. A superconducting transformer is interconnected between the first node and the second node of the utility power grid. The superconducting transformer and the non-superconducting transformer are electrically connected in parallel. The superconducting transformer has a lower series impedance than the non-superconducting transformer when the superconducting transformer is operated below a critical current level and a critical temperature. The superconducting transformer is configured to have a series impedance that is at least N times the series impedance of the non-superconducting transformer when the superconducting transformer is operated at or above one or more of the critical current level and the critical temperature. N is greater than 1 and is selected to attenuate, in conjunction with an impedance of the non-superconducting transformer, the known fault current level by at least 10%.

Parallel HTS transformer device

A method of making a laminated superconductor wire includes providing an assembly, where the assembly includes a substrate; a superconductor layer overlaying a surface of the substrate, the superconductor layer having a defined pattern; and a cap layer; and slitting the assembly in accordance with the defined pattern of the superconductor layer to form a sealed wire. Slitting the assembly in accordance with the defined pattern may form multiple sealed wires, and the substrate may be substantially wider than the sealed wires.

Fabrication of sealed high temperature superconductor wires

Oxide bronze compositions and articles manufactured in accordance therewith are provided. The oxide bronze compositions have the general formula A BO , in which A comprises an alkali, alkaline earth or rare earth metal and in which A has a valence, m, equal to 1, 2 or 3, B comprises a transition metal having a valence, n, less than or equal to 6,0<x<1 on an atomic ratio basis and y&equals;&lsqb;(x)(m)&plus;n&rsqb;/2. High temperature superconducting devices incorporating such compositions are also provided. The superconducting devices include a substrate having a polycrystalline superconducting layer or filament deposited on top of or embedded in the substrate. The superconducting layer or filament is formed of the oxide bronze composition. In some embodiments, the oxide bronze layer is textured with a full-width-half-maximum of a pole figure of less than or equal to 20 degrees.

Oxide bronze compositions and textured articles manufactured in accordance therewith

The invention provides a multifilamentary superconducting composite article comprising multiple substantially electrically decoupled domains, each including one or more fine, preferably twisted filaments of a desired superconducting oxide material. In a preferred embodiment, the article comprises a matrix, which substantially comprises a noble metal, a conductive jacketing layer surrounding the matrix, a plurality of discrete filament decoupling layers, each comprising an insulating material, disposed within the matrix to separate the matrix into a plurality of substantially electrically decoupled domains; a plurality of filaments, each comprising a desired superconducting oxide, which are disposed within and essentially encapsulated by the matrix and chemically isolated thereby from the decoupling layers, each of the electrically decoupled domains containing at least one filament. It provides multifilamentary articles that exhibit high DC performance characteristics and AC performance markedly superior to any currently available for these materials. A process and intermediate for making the article are also provided. The article may be manufactured by first, forming a composite intermediate comprising multiple domains, each including one or more fine, preferably twisted filaments of a superconducting oxide or its precursors and then thermomechanically processing the intermediate at conditions sufficient to produce at least one of the effects of texturing, crack healing and, if a precursor to the desired superconducting oxide remains, phase transformation in the filament material under conditions which support the electrical separation of the domains. Preferably, the forming step includes the step of providing filament decoupling layers comprising insulating materials or their predecessors to provide the desired domain separation and most preferably, the insulating material is formed in situ from its predecessor during the thermomechanical processing step. Oxide-forming predecessors are preferred, especially oxide forming materials selected from the group consisting of the transition metals, the alkaline earths, titanium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, aluminum, and their alloys. In a preferred embodiment, the desired superconducting oxide material is a member of the bismuth or yttrium families of oxide superconductors.

Structure and method of manufacture for minimizing filament coupling losses in superconducting oxide composite articles

A cabled conductor is provided for use in a cryogenically cooled circuit including refrigeration having a predetermined operating temperature and efficiency. The conductor includes multiple conductor strands cabled about the longitudinal axis of the conductor at a preselected cabling period, each strand including a composite of superconducting ceramic in intimate contact with conductive matrix material. Each filament has high performance regions in which the filament material is well-textured with its preferred direction aligned perpendicular to the widest longitudinal cross-section of the conductor alternating with poorly superconducting regions which are at least about half the diameter of a filament in length and in which the superconducting ceramic filament is strained by transposition in excess of its critical strain limit. In the poorly superconducting regions, the conductive matrix material provides an alternate current path. The ratio of the average length of the poorly superconducting regions to the preselected cabling period is less than about (&rgr;,/&rgr;,)&egr;E, where &rgr;,is the resistivity of the composite at the operating temperature; &rgr;,is the resistivity of the composite at 300 Kelvins; and &egr; is the predetermined efficiency of the refrigeration means at its operating temperature. In the preferred embodiment, this ratio is less than 1:4, and preferably less than 1:20.

Low resistance cabled conductors comprising superconducting ceramics

A multifilamentary superconducting composite article comprising multiple substantially electrically decoupled domains, each including one or more fine, preferably twisted filaments of a desired superconducting oxide material. In a preferred embodiment, the article comprises a matrix, which substantially comprises a noble metal, a conductive jacketing layer surrounding the matrix, a plurality of discrete filament decoupling layers, each comprising an insulating material, disposed within the matrix to separate the matrix into a plurality of substantially electrically decoupled domains; a plurality of filaments, each comprising a desired superconducting oxide, which are disposed within and essentially encapsulated by the matrix and chemically isolated thereby from the decoupling layers, each of the electrically decoupled domains containing at least one filament. It provides multifilamentary articles that exhibit high DC performance characteristics and AC performance markedly superior to any currently available for these materials. The article may be manufactured by first, forming a composite intermediate comprising multiple domains, each including one or more fine, preferably twisted filaments of a superconducting oxide or its precursors and then thermomechanically processing the intermediate at conditions sufficient to produce at least one of the effects of texturing, crack healing and, if a precursor to the desired superconducting oxide remains, phase transformation in the filament material under conditions which support the electrical separation of the domains. Preferably, the forming step includes the step of providing filament decoupling layers comprising insulating materials or their predecessors to provide the desired domain separation and most preferably, the insulating material is formed in situ from its predecessor during the thermomechanical processing step. Oxide-forming predecessors are preferred, especially oxide forming materials selected from the group consisting of the transition metals, the alkaline earths, titanium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, aluminum, and their alloys. In a preferred embodiment, the desired superconducting oxide material is a member of the bismuth or yttrium families of oxide superconductors.

Structure and method of manufacture for minimizing filament coupling

Double pancake coils include a pair of pancake coils of different dimensions, and are wound from the same continuous length of superconducting wire. The double pancake coils are coaxially positioned and electrically interconnected along a longitudinal axis to provide a multi-coil superconducting magnetic coil assembly. Each of the double pancakes has at least one of its pancake coils electrically connected to at least another pancake coil of an adjacent double pancake coil having substantially the same outer dimension. The electrical connections between adjacent pancake coils are provided with relatively straight or 'unbent' segments of superconducting wire even though the inner and/or outer dimension profile of the superconducting magnetic coil assembly along its longitudinal axis varies.

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Lexington, MA, United States of America

Alexis P Malozemoff