Superconducting Developments for Compact Power and Energy Systems

In recent years, there have been significant advances in YBCO coated conductor development. AMSC reported achieving electrical performance levels of 330 Amps, 10 percent above the commercial threshold performance level of 300 Amps set by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for 2G HTS wires. Also, high performance reults were reported on greater than 30-m lengths - triple the length of its previously reported results. In addition, some preliminary work has been performed by MIT and DOE/ORNL on the quench stability in these tapes, primarily for cable applications, primarily for cable applications. However, thre has been little work performed on YBCO coils. Therefore, the purpose of this SBIR effort is to focus on issues related to the design, fabrication and testing of YBCO coils. By studying and understanding such issues as YBCO coil thermal and mechanical properties and selecting preferred methods of insulation, advances in YBCO coil design can be achieved. Furthermore, as progress is made in designing and fabricating low-loss, ac conductors from this material, it is expected that under Phase II, coils can be designed and tested for either a prototype transformer or stator winding.