ABSTRACT

Compared with conventional equipment, superconductors generally allow a more compact design (reduced weight and volume), along with substantially lower operating losses. Initial developments, such as cables, motors and generators based on low-Tc -superconductors (LTS), have not been successful in commercial applications because of the complex helium cooling system and the high operation costs. However, LTS has become an important source for providing high energy physics and fusion with high magnetic field coils. Besides this relatively small and specialised market, LTS has triggered the rapid growth of the MRI industry, which now yields some $1.65 billion / year world-wide. In the field of power engineering, the present development is being concentrated to generators and small and midsize superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) devices for power quality improvement.

Ten years after the discovery of high Tc- superconductivity (HTSC) the successful testing of demonstrators and realistic models have promoted the prospects for applications in power engineering and market studies predict commercialisation is coming closer. Although there is still a strong need for improvement in HTSC materials, impressive progress has been achieved in the enhancement of critical currents and the production of conductor material on a technical scale. The considerable market potential of HTSC represents a long-term driving force (5 to 10 years) in the world-wide development of new products, which either cannot be produced at all by means of conventional technology or, if so, which do not have the same performance levels. Cooled in a simplified and efficient way by liquid nitrogen, HTSC technology clearly promises much more application potential than the metallic helium-cooled LTS.

Typical examples are superconductive power transmission cables, or compact transformers for stationary application and other uses in railway transportation systems. Superconductivity, furthermore, creates scope for totally innovative equipment, such as short-circuit limiters. These are self-activating and self-regenerating switching elements with extremely short response times. Mechanical storage devices in the form of flywheels with HTSC bearings improve the energy management and power quality in customer networks, for instance for public transportation and for sensitive production lines.

Dr. Neumüller will also briefly evaluate all the technical and environmental benefits that HTSC can contribute to the particular systems and to overcome the bottle-necks as the materials and refrigeration system costs. The action taken for HTSC is always determined by competing conventional solutions, which means that HTSC applications have to be economical and cost-effective.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Dr. Neumüller has involved in the development of superconducting generators, MRI magnets, LCT-coil for Oak Ridge, Synchrotron magnet for BESSY, HTS material research and development, HTS-cables, fault current limiters, transformers and HTS- coil windings.

He has managed various projects and programs including European Superconducting Cable Program, National Joint Project: HTS for power engineering, and the National Pilot Project: Superconductivity for the Power engineering of the Future. He conducted an evaluation and techno-economical study devoted to applications of Super conductivity to power engineering.

He is currently the head of Department Superconductivity and Crygenics at Siemens Research Laboratories, Erlangen, Germany. In his capacity, he also coordinates all activities on superconductivity for power engineering at Siemens. He is a members of Steering/Advisory Committees of SCENET-NOE22804 (ESPRIT),CEC BE-Project BE-1563:Low AC-Loss conductors,IOP and Supercond. Science and Technology, Applied Superconductivity, and CONECTUS (markets for superconductivity).