from: http://www.azom.com/details.asp?newsID=6969

American Super Signs $5.3 million Deal With US Navy for Design of High Temperature Superconductor Ship Propulsion Motors

American Superconductor Corporation has signed a cost-plus-fee contract valued at $5.3 million with the United States Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) for the design and optimization of high temperature superconductor (HTS) ship propulsion motors and power electronic drives. The first $1.9 million increment of funding that has been allotted for this contract will focus on motor, drive and electrical system options that are optimized for possible system integration into later flights of DDG-1000 and CG(X) surface combatant ships. This initial stage of the contract is expected to be completed in the next six months.

American Superconductor is currently performing final assembly and component testing of its 36.5-MW HTS propulsion motor for the Office of Naval Research at a Northrop Grumman Marine Systems facility within the Philadelphia Naval Business Center. The motor weighs approximately

75 tons and is one-half the size and one-third the weight of traditional copper-based propulsion systems. Factory testing is expected to be completed prior to the Navy taking possession of the motor around the end of calendar 2006. The company anticipates that the new contract award will be the first in a series of contracts with the U.S. Navy that, when carried forward, will yield a militarized class standard HTS production propulsion motor suitable for U.S and allied navy warships.

"This first in what we are confident will be a series of contracts from the United States Navy, will enable us to continue optimizing HTS motors and power electronic drives for use in future surface combatants as well as other classes of naval vessels. It will also strengthen the foundation for adoption of these revolutionary advanced motors in a broad set of commercial ship types," said Greg Yurek, chief executive officer and founder of American Superconductor.

"American Superconductor's technology offers significant and compelling benefits over conventional solutions, and we are committed to bringing these benefits to the Navy."

The 36.5-MW HTS motor undergoing factory testing in Philadelphia has the potential to change the way naval warships fight due to the dramatic reductions in size and weight it offers. The motor weighs approximately 75 metric tons and is about one-third the weight and one-half the size of conventional copper-based propulsion motors of the same power and torque rating. This enables Navy ships to carry more fuel and war fighting capabilities as well as expanded crew's quarters. The HTS motor offers a significant reduction in noise, and thus a smaller acoustic signature, compared to current motors In addition, HTS motors operate with higher fuel efficiency over the entire mission profile of a warship. American Superconductor expects the motor to have lower maintenance costs than their conventional copper and permanent magnet motor counterparts. The substantial advantages offered by HTS ship propulsion motors are expected to be provided at a price equivalent to conventional motors of the same power and torque rating.

http://www.amsuper.com/365MWmotor.cfm

Posted 26th October 2006





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All Electric Drive...here we come...Should have a very high EM signature due to the Meissner Effect.





Diagram of the Meissner effect. Magnetic field lines, represented as arrows, are excluded from a superconductor when it is below its critical temperature.

cool!

Quoted: cool!

Literally...because High Tc Superconducting Materials require Liquid Nitrogen which boils at 77 Kelvin (or about -196 Celsius) in order to bring the material down below the Critical Temperature.

It's the way of the future… possibly


Drive time: firing up electric propulsion

By John Kenkel

Although electric drive systems have been in service on commercial vessels for a number of years, the requirements for more robust military missions have so far limited its use on military vessels.

The biggest hurdle for military vessels has been the size of currently available electric drive systems: there is simply no room aboard most surface combatants for a majority of the large and inefficient systems currently in operation.

There are four main technologies set to overcome these limitations and meet emerging military demand for electric drive systems. Two are currently operational and in use with modern military vessels and two are still in development to meet next-generation demands.

Advanced Induction Systems (AIS) are the furthest along in terms of development and variants are being integrated into the UK's Type 45 Daring-class destroyers, as well as the USN's DDG-1000 (Flight 0) destroyer and Lewis and Clarke-class T-AKE replenishment ships.

The major competitor in terms of current technology is the Permanent Magnet Motor (PMM) concept, designed initially for small vessels and considered to be the most technically advanced electric drive system currently operational.

The DDG-1000 Flight 1 programme is driving the further development of advanced superconducting motor technology, with a partnership between American Surperconductors and Northrop Grumman pushing the High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) ship-propulsion motor, which is currently the subject of a phase of research-and-development trials with the USN.

The least developed, but potentially most advanced system is the Superconducting Homopolar Motor (SCHM) being developed by General Atomics. The SCHM is a DC motor, affording much reduced acoustic signatures, while still producing full torque at low speeds, making the technology ideal for submarines.

John Kenkel is senior director of the Jane's Strategic Advisory Service, which is to release a white paper on the global electric drive market at the Euronaval Exhibition in Paris on 23 October 2006. The report will be available here


http://www.janes.com/defence/naval_forces/news/jni/jni061017_1_n.shtml

Wait till the Gulf War Syndrome and "Power lines cause cancer" kooks get ahold of this one.

They'll be filing huge class action law suits, on the behalf of every sailor and yard worker that ever set foot on one. Claiming that drive causes everything from male pattern baldness to low sperm count.

Quoted: Wait till the Gulf War Syndrome and "Power lines cause cancer" kooks get ahold of this one. They'll be filing huge class action law suits, on the behalf of every sailor and yard worker that ever set foot on one. Claiming that drive causes everything from male pattern baldness to low sperm count.

The claim that EM field strengths from Power lines have caused cancer has been debunked.

However, the EM field Strengths Emanating from Superconductors are a hell of a lot higher. Given the amount of power necessary to accelerate and drive a large naval vessel through the sea, the EM Fields should be very high.

Which to some extent should negate Stealth Characteristics of these ships. On the other Hand, Thermal, Noise, and Radar Signatures will be lower because of other design features.

The first electric drive ship:







USS New Mexico

Quoted: The motor weighs approximately 75 tons and is one-half the size and one-third the weight of traditional copper-based propulsion systems.

The motor itself may be smaller and weigh less, but what about when you also include the support equipment required to keep it at a usable operating temperature?

Quoted: Quoted: The motor weighs approximately 75 tons and is one-half the size and one-third the weight of traditional copper-based propulsion systems. The motor itself may be smaller and weigh less, but what about when you also include the support equipment required to keep it at a usable operating temperature?

The most efficient way to cool materials down past critical temperatures is the use of liquified gases such as Liquid Nitrogen.

The Liquified Gases are stored in "Dewer Containers" a steel double walled container with a vacuum between the walls.

The Coolant will BOIL OFF as the electric motors are being run. As the ship moves through the ocean, it's hull is not only exerting a force, but the ocean is exerting forces back into the ship, not only on the hull but through resistance on the Propeller shafts (or Water Jets). This resistive force is converted to Heat, which will in turn heat up the liquified gas coolants causing a gradual boil off. How quickly the boil off occurs depends upon the efficiency of hydrodynamics of the hull, the speed, sea conditions, and the efficiency of the Engine and its Heat Exchange System.

If the ship runs out of coolant and the motor's armature temperature rises above the critical temperature, the engine will still be able to run, though less efficiently and more power will be consumed to maintain previous speeds.

So, you have the weight of the liquified gas, plus the weight/bulk of the container it's stored in, plus the weight/bulk of whatever special equipment is needed to circulate/monitor it - none of which is apparently included in their comparison with a conventional motor.

Quoted: So, you have the weight of the liquified gas, plus the weight/bulk of the container it's stored in, plus the weight/bulk of whatever special equipment is needed to circulate/monitor it - none of which is apparently included in their comparison with a conventional motor.

How about the weight of the shaft, the main reduction gear, the shaft and thrust bearings, and the propulsion turbines and associated equipment.

Let's make the comparison fair.

wierd

Superconducting motors powered by nuclear power! No wonder the rest of the world is jealous.