Novel Cryogenic Rapid Cooling of Supercontuctor Systems

The U.S. Navy is actively developing new High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) technologies to support its all-electric ship program. Amongst these emerging technologies is an HTS Mine Sweeping platform for Unmanned Surface Vehicles. For practical implementation, the large HTS magnets that these mine sweeping systems rely on must be cooled from ambient temperatures (295-320 K) to cryogenic operating temperatures (Top ~ 50K) in < 24 hours, and ready for mission launch from a host ship. Since this rapid initial cooldown of the magnets will occur in the manned bay of the host ship, it must be achieved in an extremely safe and efficient manner without the use of highly flammable, high latent heat cryogens, prohibitively expensive cryogens, or exposing the crew to potential asphyxiants. To achieve this rapid cooldown in a safe, efficient, and cost effective manner, Energy to Power Solutions (e2P) of Tallahassee, FL, in collaboration with Subject Matter Expert Dr. Sastry Pamidi of the Florida State University Center for Advanced Power Systems (FSU-CAPS), proposes to design, fabricate, and cryogenically test a novel cryogenic refrigeration system capable of cooling an HTS magnet, like those used in mine sweeping systems, in <24 hours. The proposed cryogenic refrigeration system utilizes 5 proprietary technologies synergistically combined into a single, novel cryogenic refrigeration system for optimal cooling in a manned environment.