SUPERCONDUCTIVITY NEWS UPDATE
24 August 2005
In this issue:
News from 2005 Superconductivity Peer Review
Superconductor Industry “Persons of the Year” Honored at Peer Review
Updates on Superconductivity Partnership with Industry (SPI) Projects
SPI Project Update: Columbus Cable
SPI Project Update: Albany Cable
SPI Project Update: Long Island Cable
SPI Project Update: 100 MVA Generator
SPI Project Update: Transformer
SPI Project Update: Motor
SPI Project Update: Matrix Fault Current Limiter
American Superconductor’s Leader Address Superconductivity Peer Review
Related stories:
American Superconductor Appoints Terry Winter to Post of Chief Operating Officer
American Superconductor Reports Fiscal 2006 First Quarter Results
SuperPower’s Pellegrino Addresses Peer Review
DOE Issues SPI Pre-solicitation notice in Federal Register
Related Story
Energy Policy Act of 2005: Business Catalysts for American Superconductor Corporation
GE Global Research will host engineering symposium
News from 2005 Superconductivity Peer Review
The U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Superconductivity Peer Review was held in Washington, D.C. from 2 to 4 August 2005. Attended by nearly 200 leading researchers and industry representatives from the United States and around the world, the review program included public presentations by industry, national laboratory, and university project teams.
During each year’s Superconductivity Peer Review, reviewers score each project, with half the score determined by an assessment of the project’s performance versus plans for the year, as well as research integration with other institutions. The other half is determined by productivity — whether world-class results were produced in the past year.
Heading the plenary speakers at this year’s Superconductivity Peer Review was David Garman, Under Secretary of Energy for Energy, Science and Environment at the United States Department of Energy.
In his remarks, Garman saluted the superconductivity community for the tremendous progress it has made in recent years, citing some of the successful public-private project partnerships that have helped advance the technology in real-world situations.
Garman then referred to U.S. federal budget constraints as they relate to superconductivity, pointing out that “prioritization is the key in this era of deficit reduction.” Part of this prioritization, he commented, is reflected in the new Superconductivity Partnerships with Industry (SPI) pre-solicitation appearing in the Federal Register the day of his speech (2 August; see related story on this pre-solicitation).
Showing strong support for superconductivity and its potential for strengthening the U.S. electric power grid, Garman said that “it is a very exciting time in a very exciting industry.”
Superconductor Industry “Persons of the Year” Honored at Peer Review
Superconductor Week, the leading publication on superconductor business and technology, honored two pioneers in the development of high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire as “Superconductor Industry Persons of the Year 2004.”
In a presentation at the Superconductivity Peer Review on 2 August, Superconductor Week’s editor Mark Bitterman presented the industry’s most prestigious international award in the development and commercialization of superconductors to Alex Malozemoff, Chief Technical Officer at American Superconductor Corp, and Venkat “Selva” Selvamanickam, Program Manager of Materials Technology at SuperPower, Inc., a subsidiary of Intermagnetics General Corporation.
The 13 May 2005 issue of Superconductivity News Update provides full information on the careers and important contributions that these two leaders have made to the field of high-temperature superconductivity.
UPDATES ON SUPERCONDUCTIVITY PARTNERSHIP WITH INDUSTRY (SPI) PROJECTS
This issue of Superconductivity News Update features highlights from some of the Superconductivity Partnership with Industry project updates presented at the 2005 Superconductivity Peer Review.
SPI Project Update: Columbus Cable
David Lindsay of Ultera (a joint venture between Southwire and nkt cables) provided an update on the cable project at AEP’s Bixby Substation in Columbus, Ohio.
Lindsay began his update by noting that Southwire’s 30-meter cable demonstration project at the company’s Carrollton, Georgia plant has operated over 30,000 hours (since 2000) at 100% load. He said that the plant’s cable system will continue to be “operated and studied…optimizations will be made to improve operating efficiencies and reliabilities.” This 12.4kV, 1.25 kA line has surpassed expectations and continues to provide important new data in a “real world” environment: it sustained a direct hit from lightning in the past year and continues to function normally.
Turning to the Bixby Substation project, Lindsay said that Ultera will complete a 200 meter demonstration with AEP by installing 13.2 kV, 3.0 kAmps (69 MVA) superconducting cable system in the substation. He said that this represents about twice the power of the Carrollton demonstration project and that it will be the highest current cable project in the world.
Lindsay said that the Bixby project’s length would be about seven times the Carrollton, demonstration and that engineers would design and install a “simplified and reliable” cryogenic system based on prior experiences [from the Carrollton project]. He expects the project to be installed and energized on the AEP grid next year and to be operational in late spring 2006.
Commenting on the advantages of superconducting cables, Lindsay pointed to several areas where these cables provide important benefits to the nation’s electric power infrastructure, including the maximization of existing rights-of-way, higher power density (3,000+ Amp/phase) and the need for lower voltage levels (“transmission-level power at distribution-level voltages”). He added that superconducting cables could lower real estate costs by moving transformation substations to outlying areas, noting that stations in dense urban areas can become smaller “breaker and switching only” stations.
Finally, Lindsay said that superconducting cables could help resolve:
• EMF from underground copper transmission cables
• Transformer installation and oil containment
• Thermal issues for HV copper cables – heat dissipation
• HV permitting issues with municipalities and regulators
Partners in the Bixby project include Southwire/nktc/Ultera, AEP, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Praxair and American Superconductor.
SPI Project Update: Albany Cable
Chuck Weber of SuperPower, Inc. provided an update to the Peer Review about the Albany Cable project that will use 350 meters of superconducting cable to link two Niagara Mohawk substations (Riverside and Menands). Weber said that the superconducting power line parallels a new 34.5kV installation and that it was added to handle load growth (i.e., not solely for demonstration purposes).
Weber said that cryogenics were installed and functional testing took place in June. All cryogenic systems are “meeting or exceeding expectations,” he added. Next February, he said, BSSCO cable should be installed and commissioned, followed by the installation and commissioning of YBCO cable in June 2007.
Partners in the Albany Cable Project include SuperPower, Inc, Niagara Mohawk, Sumitomo Electric Industries, and the BOC Group. It receives funding support from the U.S. Department of Energy and the New York State government (NYSERDA).
SPI Project Update: Long Island Cable
James Maguire of American Superconductor provided an update on the demonstration project of a long-length superconducting cable system operation in the Long Island Power Authority’s (LIPA) transmission network. Powering LIPA’s Holbrook Substation, Maguire pointed out that this project is the world’s first installation of a transmission-voltage superconducting power cable. He noted that the project’s location was moved to the Holbrook Substation due to “real estate issues” on Long Island, adding that the cable will see a maximum load current of less than 1,000 amperes, which is a significant decrease from the cable’s design capacity of 2,400 amperes.
This 610-meter cable project has made good progress, according to Maguire, with insert wire manufacturing completed and lamination and testing in progress. Maguire said that the project’s finished wires should ship in September and October and that the entire system should be prepared for installation and commissioning next year.
Partners participating in this 138kV superconducting cable project are American Superconductor, the Long Island Power Authority, the U.S. Department of Energy, Air Liquide and Nexans.
SPI Project Update: 100 MVA Generator
In his update to the Peer Review, James Fogarty of GE discussed the design and development of a 100MVA superconducting generator. Fogarty said that this generator is being designed for commercial entry, adding that “we succeed if we maximize the efficiency benefit, if we keep the cost competitive and if the [superconducting generator] is as reliable as conventional equipment.”
The GE generator project features a mix of conventional and superconducting technologies in order to facilitate the project’s commercialization and to keep first costs as low as possible. Specifically, the generator’s configuration includes conventional stator core and winding; frame and coolers; exciter and rotor forging. The superconducting components of the generator are the refrigeration system; cryogen transfer coupling and a high-temperature superconducting field coil.
Fogarty said that GE’s warm rotor design enables economical superconducting wire usage and simple torque transfer. However, he pointed out that the superconducting wire cost alone exceeds the entire cost of a conventional rotor, without counting costs of the rotor shaft, refrigerator and other components. He concluded by saying “until costs are firmly below $25/kA-m, a [superconducting] generator remains a difficult sell…but GE sees positive trends on second-generation wire technology.”
Partners on GE’s 100MVA superconducting generator project are GE (Global Research, Power Generation and Energy Consulting sectors), AEP, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy.
SPI Project Update: Transformer
Sam Mehta of Waukesha Electric Systems presented an overview of his company’s 5/10 MVA superconducting transformer project. Mehta said that the purpose of this project was to “establish the technical and economic feasibility and benefits of superconducting transformers of medium to large (greater than 10 MVA) ratings.
Mehta outlined the tremendous economic, operational and environmental benefits that commercialization of superconducting transformers would bring to the electric power infrastructure. These benefits include higher efficiency (2X rating overload capability without insulation damage or loss of life); lower impedance and better voltage regulation; potential for fault current limiting capability (allowing reduced cost for associated switchgear, breakers and other equipment); siting advantages (can locate transformers indoors or outdoors because of lower environmental hazard due to lack of oil); lighter and more compact than conventional transformers; and greater security (smaller radiators; “can interface directly with underground superconducting cable”; no oil to spill or ignite.)
Phase II of the 5/10 MVA superconducting transformer project was concluded, Mehta reported, due to a dielectric failure. He said that a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) had been completed and that “readiness review methodology would have recognized risks associated with this aggressive program.”
Mehta noted that Waukesha Electric Systems and the project team remains committed to the development of superconducting transformers and recommended a follow-on program to address superconducting transformer dielectric issues. He added that the Root Cause Analysis was included in the team’s final report and expressed optimism over the future of superconducting transformer power applications.
Partners on the 5/10 MVA superconducting transformer project are Waukesha Electric Systems, Superpower, Inc., Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Energy East and the U.S. Department of Energy.
SPI Project Update: Motor
Rich Schiferl of Rockwell Automation gave an overview of the project on development of ultra-efficient superconducting electric motor systems.
Pointing out the advantages of superconducting motors, Schiferl said that some technology drivers included the facts that superconducting motors are smaller (approximately half the volume) and lighter than conventional motors, offering greater efficiency (half the losses) and lower life cycle costs.
Schiferl said that projected applications for superconducting motors would be to replace commercial large motors (greater than 1000 hp) that are continually operated in utility and industrial markets and in “special applications where size/weight are the key design drivers” [such as in ship propulsion].
Comparing two 5000-hp, 1800-rpm motors, Schiferl said that a superconducting motor would run with 98.6% efficiency versus 96.8% for conventional motors. Though the differences in efficiency would appear to be small, he said that the lower efficiency of the conventional motors would mean added annual energy costs of $50,000 per motor.
Rockwell Automation has a long experience with the Superconductivity Partnership Initiative and Schiferl highlighted some of the progress that his company and project team have made toward advancing superconducting motor technology. He said that the problem of eddy current heating in end regions problem has been solved, and that the project team has lowered a heat leak rotor with persistent current switch. The team has advanced quench understanding in superconducting coils and has successfully demonstrated the world’s largest second generation superconducting motor at 7.5 hp.
Schiferl concluded his overview by pointing out that superconducting motors will provide size reduction and efficiency improvement benefits for industrial motor customers. He said that the second generation superconducting wire cost structure is key to making these industrial motors economically viable.
SPI Project Update: Matrix Fault Current Limiter
Len Kovalsky of SuperPower, Inc. presented an update on the matrix fault current limiter project whose goal is to demonstrate the concept at transmission-level voltage of 138kV.
Kovalsky noted that “as new sources of generation are added, utilities are faced with the threat of higher levels of fault current.” He said that superconducting fault current limiters (FCLs) address the market pull to cost-effectively correct fault current over-duty problems at the transmission voltage levels of 138kV and higher. He added that superconducting FCLs will reduce the available fault current to a lower, safer level so that existing switchgear can still protect the grid.
Utilities have important needs at the transmission level, said Kovalsky — needs that superconducting FCLs could address, such as:
• Accommodate increasing fault currents due to added generation
• Avoid adverse side effects imposed by existing solutions
• Prevent breaker failures and & problems (e.g., welded contacts, bus bracing, etc.)
• Reduce “through fault” stresses on aging infrastructure
• Maintain flexibility to accommodate load growth and “open access”
• Avoid need for expensive 80kA breakers
Kovalsky provided a frank review of the Matrix FCL project’s progress, saying that the total estimated project cost is about $18 million compared with the originally estimated $12.2 million, attributing the revised estimate to “complexities and lessons learned.” He said that the project’s anticipated completion date has been pushed back one year, from June 2006 to June 2007.
The SuperPower MFCL project is located at AEP’s Sporn substation in New Haven, West Virginia. This project is targeted to reduce fault contribution from transformer T3 when faults occur in the utility’s 138kV system.
Kovalsky reported that a number of key project milestones had been completed, including completion of a conceptual design and studies of application requirements, as well as a scaled hardware non-grid demonstration of the matrix concept. However, he said that scaling up for non-grid demonstration at high voltage and an in-grid demonstration for specific utility application are both on hold pending a Beta prototype to be in service by late 2006 or early 2007.
Partners in the matrix fault current limiter project team are SuperPower, Inc., Nexans SuperConductors GmbH, AEP, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory and a cryogenic company to be announced later.
American Superconductor’s Leader Address Superconductivity Peer Review
—Yurek Announces New Breakthrough in Commercialization of Second Generation High Temperature Superconductor Wire
President and Chief Executive Officer of American Superconductor Corporation Greg Yurek addressed the 2005 Superconductivity Peer Review in Washington, D.C. on 2 August.
In his remarks, Yurek announced that American Superconductor has achieved several significant benchmarks important to the commercialization of second generation (2G) HTS wire including record lengths of a new three-ply, 4.4-millimeter (mm) wide, 2G HTS wire, fabrication and testing of electromagnetic coils utilizing this wire, and new record 2G wire performance levels. These technological achievements, he said, will advance the practicality of 2G wire by increasing its electrical and mechanical stability to meet commercial performance levels and contribute dramatically to the reduction of manufacturing costs that are key to the commercialization of superconducting wire products.
Yurek noted that his company is entering the final commercialization stage for major applications based on First Generation (1G) superconducting wire, including ship propulsion motors, synchronous condensers, power cables and materials characterization systems.
Now, Yurek said, American Superconductor is “accelerating the migration to Second Generation (2G) [superconducting] wire,” which he termed key to broad market acceptance. He said that 2G wires represent lower manufacturing costs of two to five times and offer “drop-in” replacement for First Generation wires. He said that “substantial growth” is underway with 2G wire and said that the high-temperature superconductivity industry is “on the path to commercial success.”
Yurek paid tribute to materials scientists who have made such important contributions to the growth of the industry through increased performance (see story on “Superconductor Persons of the Year” awards).
Yurek enumerated the many advantages that superconductivity provides to society, saying that “wherever large amounts of power are involved,” superconducting applications can provide efficient solutions. Yurek said that these applications include:
• Power Cables
• Motors, Generators and Synchronous Condensers
• MagLev Trains
• Transformers
• Fault Current Limiters
• MRI
• Magnetic Separation
• Defense Applications
In conclusion, Yurek said that the 2005 Energy Bill that was signed into law by President Bush on 8 August provides a near-term catalyst for superconducting cable solutions, pointing out that the new law directs the U.S. Department of Energy to launch a three-year program to complete development of superconducting cable solutions.
A copy of the slides that Yurek presented to the 2005 Superconductivity Peer Review is available in PDF format at http://www.amsuper.com/documents/FINAL-YurekDOE.pdf.
Related stories:
American Superconductor Appoints Terry Winter to Post of Chief Operating Officer
American Superconductor Corporation announced on 28 July that Terry Winter, formerly executive vice president of Advanced Grid Solutions, has been appointed by the Board of Directors to the position of chief operating officer. In his newly appointed position, Winter will have primary responsibility for overseeing the day-to-day management of the Company’s AMSC Wires, SuperMachines and Power Electronic Systems business units.
From American Superconductor press release
American Superconductor Reports Fiscal 2006 First Quarter Results
Press release from American Superconductor provides excellent characterization of company’s activities and ongoing and anticipated business activities.
SuperPower’s Pellegrino Addresses Peer Review
—Company’s President Announces Record 2G Wire Performance; Summarizes Industry’s Progress and Outlines Goals
In remarks to the 2005 Superconductivity Peer Review in Washington on 2 August, President of SuperPower, Inc. Philip Pellegrino lauded the tremendous accomplishments that industry, national laboratories, academia and other parties have made since the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in 1986.
To continue this progress, said Pellegrino, all involved stakeholder communities —and especially industry— “must continue our educational activities and doing outreach, both through our trade associations and as individual companies.”
Noting the importance of the Superconductivity Partnership Initiative and other collaborative projects between industry and government, Pellegrino stated that “public-private partnerships must thrive.”
Pellegrino announced that site construction at the Albany Cable Project (see related story on this project in this issue), continues to progress according to schedule, noting that “the equipment and controls building, underground ductwork and termination vaults, and the cryogenic refrigeration system are all substantially completed. The first phase of the cable fabricated by Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) is expected to arrive at the North Albany Service Center site of Niagara Mohawk, a National Grid Company, in September for installation.”
Pellegrino noted the following additional accomplishments, all geared toward producing a practical conductor and prototype devices:
• SuperPower’s new 2G wire is about 35 to 50 percent thinner than previous wire. This was made possible by reducing the thickness of the substrates by 50 percent. These are now the thinnest substrates used anywhere in the world. A greater quantity of this thinner wire can now be packed into the same space, providing more efficient coils for motor, generator and transformer applications.
- Los Alamos National Laboratory successfully fabricated this thinner 2G wire supplied by SuperPower into a prototype electrical coil to demonstrate the mechanical durability of the conductor without any degradation in critical current.
- Delivery to SEI of 207 meters of the new, thin 2G wire in a 4 mm width with a copper stabilizer and an average critical current of 140 A/cm has been completed.
- Delivery of 113 meters of 4 mm wide, copper-stabilized 2G wire to SEI was fabricated into a demonstration one meter long 2G cable, proving lower ac losses and higher current carrying capacity.
- New coils fabricated with SuperPower’s 2G wire were supplied to Rockwell for an HTS motor that operated at 6 times higher power than for a similar demonstration about one year ago. The resulting motor was run at 40 Amps and achieved 7.5 hp in a conventional 5 hp motor frame.
- SuperPower fabricated an electrical coil using 20 meters of 2G wire to demonstrate the capability of the wire to produce high magnetic fields at liquid nitrogen temperatures, which is not possible with 1G wire.
- Dielectric test results obtained from Oak Ridge National Laboratory demonstrate the advantages of SuperPower’s surround stabilizer configuration for high-voltage applications.
- 1 mm wide 2G wire has been demonstrated. This is 4 times narrower than wire made by any other organization. Narrow conductor is preferred for low ac losses in military and several commercial applications. Further, SuperPower demonstrated twisting of the 1 mm wide conductor to form a stranded, multi-wire conductor for the first time.
- High-throughput 2G wire fabrication in every process step has been demonstrated for the first time. Linear tape speeds equivalent to 30 meters/hour of 4 mm wide conductor were used to produce long length, high-performance 2G wire. High linear tape speeds would enable long single piece lengths of 2G wire.
Pellegrino said, “Following on our previous demonstration of SuperPower’s ability to fabricate 2G wire in short lengths, we have continued to focus on the achievement of commercial manufacturing capability by pursuing the fabrication of high-quality 2G wire in continuous long lengths, now surpassing 200 meters. At the same time, we have continued our development of a product suitable for a variety of applications by focusing on critical mechanical properties, electrical stabilization, ac losses, magnetic field performance and device-suitable dimensions. SuperPower’s manufacturing process is focused on obtaining high throughput in every processing step.”
Looking toward the future, Pellegrino said that “the market potential for superconductivity is “awesome: up to $20 billion annually is possible…but it will be slow in developing…” Pellegrino concluded his remarks by reiterating his support for continued cooperation among superconductivity stakeholders and aggressive educational and outreach activities to target constituencies.
From Pellegrino comments to Peer Review and SuperPower press release
Intermagnetics’ SuperPower Subsidiary Sets New World Record in Second-Generation HTS Wire Performance
— Achieves more than 22,000 Amp-Meters in 206-meter 2G HTS Wire
Intermagnetics General Corporation’s Energy Technology subsidiary, SuperPower, Inc., announced at the Superconductivity Peer Review on 3 August that it has achieved world record performance of more than 100 amperes in a 206 meter length of second-generation (2G) high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wire. This 22,000 amp-meter performance more than doubles the performance announced by SuperPower in January 2005 and improves on the previous world record set by a Japanese company by nearly 2,000 amp-meters. “Amp-meter” is a common measure of HTS wire performance achieved by multiplying critical current carrying capacity in amperes by length in meters.
Glenn H. Epstein, chairman and chief executive officer of Intermagnetics, said, “The increase in piece lengths of 2G wire beyond the 100 meter threshold is of particular significance as we work toward product commercialization and development of devices incorporating 2G wire. This latest achievement by the SuperPower team keeps us firmly on the path toward producing ever longer, high-performing HTS wire for a broadening range of applications.”
Dean Peterson, leader of the Superconductivity Technology Center at the Los Alamos National Laboratory added, “Our long-standing partnership with SuperPower is resulting in significant improvements in both the manufacturing process and product quality. Commercial viability is now within our reach.”
DOE Issues SPI Pre-solicitation notice in Federal Register
In the 2 August 2005 Federal Register (http://www.setonresourcecenter.com/register/2005/Aug/02/44345A.pdf), the U.S. Department of Energy issued an “Expression of Interest Regarding the Scope of an Intended Solicitation for Superconductivity Partnerships With Industry (SPI) Projects.”
As noted in the Federal Register:
“The Department of Energy (DOE), as part of its Superconductivity Program for Electric Power Systems, is currently pursuing the development of electric power equipment incorporating high temperature superconductors (HTS) through SPIs. The purpose is to accelerate future commercial availability of the more efficient, higher capacity new technology enabled by HTS for modernizing the electricity infrastructure.”
“The DOE is contemplating issuing a solicitation in FY–2006 in response to continued industrial interest and due to the impressive technical accomplishments made to date by participating industry teams. Applications of interest could address the next stage of HTS power line R&D, or begin R&D for power equipment based on the expected 2006 availability of second generation (2G) HTS wires in limited quantity. The purpose of this notice is to request expressions of interest in responding to the contemplated solicitation. DOE also welcomes comments on the content of the solicitation.”
For more details on this announcement, review the pre-solicitation notice at http://www.setonresourcecenter.com/register/2005/Aug/02/44345A.pdf. In the 15 August Federal Register, a corrected address for this solicitation was published.
View the corrected address for comments on this solicitation
Second Anniversary of the Northeastern Blackout of 2003: Will Superconductivity Help Strengthen the Grid?
As the nation marks two years since the massive blackout in the northeastern United States, observers have been looking at how the recently enacted Energy Policy Act of 2005 will strengthen our electric power infrastructure and provide increased electricity reliability. Members of the superconductivity community have been examining the new law to determine how it will help advance superconducting power applications in this country.
In his comments to the 2005 Superconductivity Peer Review (see related article in this issue), American Superconductor president and CEO Greg Yurek cited the U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force’s April 2004 conclusion that “…the blackout on August 14, 2003 was preventable. It had several direct causes and contributing factors including a failure to maintain adequate reactive power support...” Yurek then highlighted his company’s expanded reactive power (VAR) product line that he said would provide greater stability to the nation’s power grid. He also provided a short overview of several provisions of the energy bill that would help advance grid reliability and superconducting power applications.
American Superconductor’s John Howe added that the Energy Policy Act of 2005 will help pave the way for business development for superconductors and a range of advanced grid technologies in the coming decades. Howe said that the new law should generate significant demand for new transmission investments around the country.
Specifically, Howe said he believes that the energy bill’s requirement of enforceable standards is an important step that will not only affect behavior and incentives of various electric power entities, but it will create a more favorable environment for new investment in the grid. “Utilities will have incentives to upgrade their system lest they face penalties,” Howe said.
Looking at the commercial future of superconducting power applications, Howe concluded that “we’re at the dawn of a truly new era for superconducting power applications.”
Related Story:
Energy Policy Act of 2005: Business Catalysts for American Superconductor Corporation
Chart from American Superconductor Corp. showing how various provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 will benefit business activities of American Superconductor Corp.
http://www.amsuper.com/documents/HTS_ENPOL_0805_r2.pdf
Condumex to Build High Temperature Superconductor Cable System with HTS Wire from American Superconductor
—Power grid demonstration project to showcase capability of HTS technology to break electric grid bottlenecks
American Superconductor Corporation announced on 1 June that it has received an order for its first generation (1G) high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire from Condumex, the largest wire and cable manufacturer in Mexico. The HTS wire will be utilized by Condumex to manufacture and install an HTS power cable system in a Mexico City, Mexico electrical substation. The project will demonstrate the ability of HTS cable to move increased amounts of power under the streets of Mexico City, helping to break grid bottlenecks and provide customers with more reliable and secure electric power. One-third of the project is to be funded by the government of Mexico.
“Condumex believes that HTS wire will revolutionize the energy cable business the same way optical fiber has revolutionized the telecommunication cable business,” said a Condumex spokesperson. “Our company also believes that high capacity HTS cables will provide Condumex’s customers with a significant new way to break power grid bottlenecks by permitting substantial increases in power flow through existing rights of way in congested urban areas.”
The Condumex HTS cable system will comprise three 33-meter (109 feet) long, warm dielectric cables and will utilize about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) of HTS wire. The cable system will operate at 15 kilovolts and will carry 1,800 Amperes of electrical current in each of the three cables in the system. The three cables will handle the power flow of nine similar-sized copper cables -- providing a very effective and economical means to eliminate power bottlenecks. Condumex expects the cable system to be installed and operating in a Mexico City substation next year.
From American Superconductor press release
GE Global Research will host engineering symposium
“GE Global Research in Niskayuna will be host to the National Academy of Engineering’s 11th annual Frontiers of Engineering Symposium from Sept. 22-24.”
“The symposium brings together some of the nation’s best, young engineers, ages 30-45, from industry, academia and government, to discuss technical work and research in their fields. Participants are invited to attend following a highly competitive selection process.”
“To be selected, an applicant has to produce recognizable contributions that advance their field of engineering.”
“This year, the academy selected 88 participants from the pool of 220 applicants. Of those selected, three were chosen from GE Global Research.”
More details are available in the full article from the (Albany, N.Y.) Business Review, 28 July 2005.
ABOUT THIS UPDATE
The High-Temperature Superconductivity News Update is compiled by Bob Lawrence & Associates Inc. on behalf of the superconductivity program and is issued periodically as events warrant. Past issues are available at http://www.superconductivitynewsupdate.com/newsletter.htm
Please let me know if you would like more information or story ideas on any of these news items involving high-temperature superconductivity---a clean and capable new electricity technology for the 21st century. If you have any other comments or questions, please let me know.
Thank you very much.
Craig Cox
303-679-9331