Seminar on

Development of a High Speed HTS Generator for Airborne Applications

ABSTRACT GeneralElectric,undercontractwiththeAirForceResearchLabs(AFRL),has successfullydevelopedandtestedahighspeed,multimegawattsuperconducting generator.Thegeneratorwasbuilttodemonstratehightemperaturesuperconducting (HTS)generatortechnologyforapplicationinahighpowerdensityMultimegawatt ElectricPowerSystem(MEPS)fortheAirForce.Thedemonstrationtestedthe generatorunderloadconditionsupto1.3MWatover10,000rpm.ThenewMEPS generatorachieved97%efficiencyincludingcryocoolerlosses.Alltestresultsindicate thatthegeneratorhasasignificantmarginoverthetestpointsandthatits performanceisconsistentwithprogramspecifications.Thisdemonstrationisthefirst successfulfullloadtestofasuperconductinggeneratorfortheAirForce.Inthispaper wedescribethedevelopmentofthegeneratorandpresentsomekeytestresultsused tovalidatethedesign.Extrapolationtoahigherpowerdensitygeneratorisalso discussed.

CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION MajorProgramSuccesses RemainingChallenges 2. HIGH SPEED HTS GENERATOR 3. KEY FEATURES 4. TEST RESULTS OpenCircuitTests ShortCircuitTests LoadTests ZeroExcitationWindageTests 5. ECONOMIC EVALUATION PossibleHTSGeneratorBenefits CostsoftheHTSGenerator EconomicAssessment Conclusions 6. CONCLUSION

I. INTRODUCTION
Severalmilitaryandcommercialapplicationsneed15MWcapabilityinaportablehighpower
densityelectricpowergenerationpackage.Oneapproachistouseahighspeedgeneratordirectly coupledtoahighspeedgasturbine,withhighfrequencysolidstatepowerconversion. Superconductingtechnologyoffersthehighestentitlementforpowerdensityofthegenerator,but severalengineeringchallengesremaininmakingareliable,lightweightsuperconductingmachine.To addressthisneed,arugged,highspeed,multimegawatt,HTSgeneratorhasbeendevelopedbyGE fortheAirForceResearchLab(AFRL).Thegeneratorhasbeenloadtestedupto1.3MWatGEshigh speedmachinetestbed.Thegeneratorisbasedonthehomopolarinductoralternator(HIA)topology toobtainpowerdensitiesgreaterthan8.8kW/kginarobustconstructionsuitedforhighspeed applications.Thispaperdescribesthegeneratorconstructionandtestresults.

Major Program Successes

Successfully built and tested a 1.5 MW demonstrator rotor in a conventionalstator. Demonstrated that the concept of the warm iron rotor HTS generator was a practical alternativetoaircoreHTSmachines. DemonstratedthatanHTScoilcouldbesuitablysupportedintheextremeenvironmentof arotatingelectricmachine. Demonstrated that while current Generation 1 BSSCO HTS wire may be suitable for smaller or slower electric machines, practical highspeed machines willrequireawire thatismuchstronger. ProvidedbenchmarkcostsneededforHTSwiretobecompetitiveinutilitygeneratorsand flaggedtheneedforhigheroperatingtemperaturestoreducerefrigerationcosts DevelopedacceptableinsulationsystemsforBSCCOwire CreatedastatisticaldatabaseforthestrainsensitivityofBSCCOtapessuitablefordetailed designofoperatingfieldcoils DevelopedandverifiedtheanalyticaltoolsneededtoextendthedesignofanHTSgenerator toratingsof100MVAandlarger. Developed and tested a helium transfer coupling suitable for a 100 MVA HTSgenerator.

Remaining Challenges

GE observes that good progress is being made in a number of technologies that would improve the prospects of HTS technology in the power industry. Nonetheless, there remain challenges that must be overcome before an HTS generator displaces large conventional generators in utility applications. They are directly related to the initial cost of the generator and include: HTS wire of any generation must become much less expensive than the current wire. Benchmark prices of $5/kA-m are likely to be the maximum acceptable for large-scale adoption of this technology. The technical performance of the wire should increase so that operation at temperatures of 50 70 K in magnetic fields of 1 2 tesla is possible. Increase the ability of the wire to withstand compressive, tensile, and cyclic strain by a factor of four. This now appears to be occurring with the G2 (YBCO) tapes. Low cost, highly reliable refrigeration units should be developed.

II. HIGH SPEED HTS GENERATOR

Tradeoffstudiesbasedonelectromagnetic,thermal,mechanical,cryogenic,andreliability considerationshaveshownthattheHTShomopolarinductoralternatoristhepreferredconfiguration forahighspeedsuperconductingmachine.ThegeneratorcomprisesastationaryHTSfieldexcitation coil,asolidrotorforging,andanadvancedbutconventionalstator,asshownintheschematicinFig. 1.Thearmatureconsistsofliquidcooledairgapwindingsplacedwithinanadvancedironyokewith laminationsorientedinthreedimensionstocarryfluxfromoneendofthemachinetotheother.The stationaryHTSfieldcoilisplacedaroundtheferromagneticrotorforgingandbetweentwosetsof salientpolesthatareoffsetcircumferentiallybyonepolepitchateitherend.TheHTSfieldcoil providesamagnetomotiveforce(MMF)capabilitymanyordersofmagnitudehigherthana traditionalcoppercoil,enablinganairgaparmaturewindingwithhighfluxdensityinthegap.The HTScoilcaneitherbewithinthearmaturewindingorbetweenthearmatureandthestatoryoke. Manyadvantagesresultfromthisdesignasdescribed,

Fig.1 Schematic of homopolar inductor alternator with HTS field winding. Thestationaryfieldcoildoesnotexperiencethelargecentrifugalforcesthatarotatingcoilwould besubjectedto.Thecoilcannowbeasimplesolenoidaroundtherotorinsteadofamore complicatedracetrackcoil,sothecoilsupportcanbemuchsimpler.Thethermalinsulationbetween thecoilandambientisalsoimprovedbecauseoflackofcentrifugalloadsandreducedrequirements onthecoilsupport. Withoutthelargeforcesandresultingstrainsinthesuperconductingcoil,morereliableHTScoils

canbeproducedbasedonBSCCOorYBCOcoatedconductortechnologythatoperatesat~30Kor~70 K,respectively,andatpeakfieldof~1Tesla.Further,thereducedampereturnsrequiredbythis machinedesignwouldenableconsiderablereductionintheutilizationofsuperconductorcompared toaircoremachinedesigns.

Fig.2.HomopolarinductoralternatorwithHTSfieldwinding. Thecryostatofthecoilisstationary.Thereisnoneedforatransfercouplingtointroduceacooling mediumintotherotatingcoolingcircuit.Instead,thecoilcanbecooledbyoneoftheestablished, morereliablewaysofcooling,includingconductioncooling.Thevacuumorfoaminsulation,as requiredforgoodthermalinsulation,willbestationaryandthereforehighlyreliable.Otherpartsof theinsulationschemecanalsobemademorereliablewithoutthelargegforces. Thereisnoneedforaslipringassemblytotransfercurrenttothecoilfromastationaryexciter. Thevoltageacrossthecoilisthenmorepredictableandmakesiteasiertodetectquenchandprotect thecoilwithareliableprotectioncircuit. Thereisnoneedtoconsiderrotatingbrushlessexciters.Fig.2showsaCADmodelofaprototype design.Thecryocoolersandcryogenrecondenserunitaremountedontopofthegeneratorina simple,robustassembly.TableIsummarizesthekeydesignparametersofthegeneratorderivedfrom programspecifications.A1MWdemonstratorgeneratorwasbuilttovalidatekeyfeaturesofthis newgeneratortype.Thegeneratorhasbeensuccessfullyloadtested. Resultsaresummarizedinthefollowingsections

III. KEY FEATURES

Fig.3showsapictureofthedemonstratorgeneratorinthehighspeedtestbed.Thepower densityoftheHTShomopolarinductoralternatordesignisnotashighasthatoffullyaircoredesigns becauseitreliesprimarilyontheironcorerotorandstatoryoketocarrytheflux,andthereis significantlymoreleakagefluxintheinterpolarspacethatneedstobecarriedthroughtheironrotor andstatorcomponents.Thepowerdensity,however,improvessignificantlywiththehighfluxdensity oftheairgaparmaturewindingandrotorspeed,butmoderatelywiththenumberofpoles,whilethe stationaryfieldexcitationHTScoilisutilizedmoreefficientlythaninanyothermachinedesign becauseitexcitesallpolepairsinparallel.Asaresult,thefieldampereturnsremainconstantasthe numberofpolesisincreasedtoenhancethemachinepowerdensity. ThelowfullloadampereturnrequirementofthestationaryHTScoilgreatlysimplifiesthe developmentofthiscoil.ThecoilcanbedesignedwithBSCCOorYBCOcoatedconductor,andour1 MWdemonstratorusedBSCCOthatoperatesatcurrentof150Aat~30Kandpeakfieldof~1T.The HTScoiliscooledbygravityfedboilingliquidneonthroughacoolingtubeheatexchangerincontact withthecoiloutsidesurface,andthereturnboiloffneonisrecondensedbyasingleGMcryocooler. Vacuumisusedtothermallyinsulatethecoil,withatotalheatloadof40W.Thisrefrigeratorload requiresasinglestageGMcoldheadwith75Wcapacitiesat25K,buttwocoldheadsmaybe preferableforincreasedreliabilityandserviceability.

TABLEI DESIGNPARAMETERSOFANAFRLHIGHSPEEDHTSHIA

TheairgaparmaturewindingdesignutilizesbarswhicharewoundwithcompactedLitzcopper wireturnsandcooledbyordinarywateroradielectricfluidflowinginsidealuminaceramiccooling tubes.Eachbariswetwoundinaprecisionmoldwiththermallyconductiveepoxyandcured.The barsarethenassembledandadhesivelybondedtotheceramiccoolingtubesandG10cylindrical innerandoutershellsusingthermallyconductiveepoxy.TheG10shellsontheIDandODofthe armaturebarsserveasgroundwallinsulation.Thearmaturewindingassemblyisbondedtothe statoryoketoformarigidstructurecapabletowithstandfaulttorques,vibration,andshockloads.

Fig.3.1MWgeneratorintest.

 TherotorshaftissealedwithFerrofluidsealsinboardofthebearingstoenableavacuumofafew torrtobemaintainedwithintheactiverotorchamber.Thisisnecessarytoreducewindagelossesin suchahighspeedmachine.Especiallyforasalientpolerotorsuchaswehaveemployed,therotor windagelossesat10,000rpmwouldbetoohightosustainwithoutmachinedamage,andactive coolingwouldhavebeendifficultandheavy. Theyokewithinthestatorconsistsoflaminatedblocksofironcobaltalloytoenablebothlower eddycurrentlossesfromthehighfrequencyoperationandhighmagneticsaturationforthehigh fielddevelopedbythefieldcoil.Theseblocksarealsolaminatedindifferentdirectionstobuildup thetotalyokeinordertofacilitatethetransportoffluxfromtherotorpoleradially,axially,and circumferentially,throughthearmaturewindings,toreachtheoppositepole,whichisoffset circumferentiallyfromthefirstpole. Provisionsweremadeforbalancingthesolidrotor,firstathigh(full)speedinabalancepitandin vacuumasneededbeforeassembly.Furtherbalancingofthemainrotormasswasunnecessary, butbalanceprovisionsweremadeforotherportionsoftheoveralldrivetrainafterassemblyofthe machineintothetestfacility Thegeneratorwasfullyinstrumentedfortesting:vibration,thermal,electrical.AnIRcamerawith IRwindowinthestatorwasemployedtoreadtherotortemperatureduringoperation.Powerinput tothegeneratorwasmeasuredwithatorquemeterandtachometeratthedriveend,andelectrical outputwasmeasurewithvoltage,current,andphasereadingsoftheoutput. AmajorreasonforbuildingandtestingourHIAgeneratorhasbeentoverifythemodelsand analysisweemployedindesign.Becauseofhighnonlinearityofthegeneratorandthecomplex threedimensionalnatureofthefluxpaths,effectsthatareconsideredhigherorderinconventional machinesdominateandcharacterizetheperformanceoftheHTSHIA.Ofspecialconcernarethe leakagepaths,fringingfields,aclosses,ampereturnrequirement,andcorelosses.Afull3D electromagneticmodelhasbeenbuilttounderstandthebehaviorofthemachineandoptimizethe detaileddesign.Substantialdifferencesinthefluxdistributionbetweenthelinearandnonlinear cases,especiallytheleakageandbuckingflux,meantthatallanalyseshadtobeperformedwith detailednonlinearmodels.Fortheconceptualanalysis,isotropicpropertiesareusedthroughout, ignoringtheeffectoflaminations.Eddycurrentsarenotconsidereddirectly. Analysiswasperformedintwoways:

1)Static3Dmodelwithimposedarmaturecurrents,andfieldexcitation; 2)Timestepping3Dtransientmodelwithcoupledexternalcircuit. Powerfactorandterminalvoltageforratedarmaturecurrentsasafunctionoffieldcurrentand loadangleareobtainedfromthemagnetostaticanalysis.Theresultsareastrongfunctionof saturation.Thelinearmodelsgivevastlydifferentresultsbecauseofsignificantlydifferentflux distributionsandtheeffectofthebuckingflux.Theresultsextractedfromthemagnetostaticruns arethenconfirmedwiththetimesteppingmodel. Thestaticandtimesteppingmodelsgaveinitialconfirmationoftheelectromagneticperformance ofthepreliminarydesignoftheHTSHIA.Thesaturationlevelsneedtobemonitoredcloselyto optimizemachineweight.Finiteelementmodelingwithcoupledexternalcircuithelpsidentifyareas tofocusonforoptimization.Themodelalsoprovidesthecapabilitytoanalyzetransientconditions associatedwithloaddutycycle,faultconditions,etc.

IV. TEST RESULTS

Aseriesofstandardmachinetestswereperformedonthegeneratortovalidateperformanceand obtaineddatatouseinscaleupstudies.Resultsandfindingsaresummarizedhere.Throughoutthe tests,andcontinuouslyforseveralmonths,theHTScoiltemperaturesweresteadilymaintainedwith theclosedcycleneonrefrigeration.

A. Open Circuit Tests

Thepurposeofthistestwastodemonstratetheabilityofthemachinetogeneratethedesired

voltageattheterminalsandtoobtainthenoloadsaturationcurvefromtesttoverifythe electromagneticdesignofthemagneticcircuit.Thetestsimultaneouslychallengedtheabilityof: ThesuperconductingfieldcoiltoprovidetheampereturnsofMMFtocreatefluxinthe generator. TheHTScryogenicrefrigeratortocoolthewindingincludinganyaclossespenetratingthe fluxshield. Therotorpermeabilityandaircorefluxpathstolinkthestatorwindingandprovideuseful voltage. Thecoolingcircuitstohandleanylocalizedheatingeffectsduetothemagneticfield. Opencircuittestingupto300Vlinelinermswasperformedat10500rpm.Thisvoltagewould scaleto357Vat12500rpm,and 428 V at 15000rpm, limitedby rotor saturation.Fig. 4 showstheopencircuitsaturationcurvefromtestcomparedtothepredictedcurvefromtheEM models.Thetestresultscomparewellwithpredictionuptoandbeyondtheratedvoltage. Voltageimbalancebetweenthedifferentphaseswaslessthan1%. Atthesefluxlevels,thefluxdensityinthestatoryokeissignificantlybelowdesignedvalues, resultinginlowcorelossesasshownbelow.Fig.5comparespredictedcorelosseswith measuredlosses.

B. Short Circuit Tests

Thepurposeofthistestwastodeterminetheshortcircuitcharacteristicsofthegenerator underarmaturecurrentloadingwithoutpowerloading,withalltheterminalsofthegenerator shortedtogether.Powerinputtotheshaftunderthisconditionisforovercomingfrictionand windage,thejouleheatinglossesofthecurrentflowinginthegeneratorarmature,andasmall

levelofcorelosses.

Fig.4.Opencircuitsaturationcurve

Synchronousimpedancetestsuptoarmaturelinecurrentsof1450Armswereperformed. Fig. 6 shows the short circuit characteristic of the generator obtained from testing comparedtomodelpredictions.Theresultsarewithinafewpercentofexpectedvalues. Imbalancebetweenthetwothreephasesetswasabout3%evenwithouttheuseoftrim inductors to balance the leakage reactance of the different phases. The maximum imbalanceamongallthephaseswas9%.

Fig.5.Corelossesduringopencircuittestcomparedtoprediction

Inconventionalsynchronousmachines,theelectricallossesaredominatedbytheohmic lossesinthecopperwindingsduringshortcircuitrunsandcorelossesintheopencircuit runs. Traditionally, loss data from steady state heat runs under zeroexcitation, open circuit, and short circuit are used to segregate losses in the different components using thisassumption.IntheMEPSHIAgenerator,significantaclossesinthearmaturewinding during open circuit conditions and significant core losses during the short circuit runs, coupledwithvaryingcryostatlosses,makethisprocedureinaccurate.

Fig.6.Shortcircuitcharacteristics.

Fig.7.CopperlossesduringSCtestcomparedtoprediction.

Analternateproceduretosegregatelossesisanalysisofheatrejectioninthedifferent coolingsystemswithinthegenerator.TheHIAgeneratorhasbeendesignedtohave dedicatedcoolingformostofitsmajorlosscenters,includingarmaturestraightsections, endsections,ironcore,andcryostat,withlittleheattransferbetweenthesesubsystems. Flowandcoolanttemperaturerisefromthesecoolingcircuitshavebeenusedtoobtain thelossbreakdownreportedhere.Anyerrorinthisdataisduetotheactualflowand

temperaturemeasurementsandcrosstalkbetweenthedifferentsubsystems.Theseare assumedtobeminimal.

Fig.8.EfficiencyofSCgeneratorobservedduringloadtest.

Fig.9.Phasevoltagesduring1MWloadtest.

Fig.7comparescopperarmaturelossobtainedfromshortcircuittestswithcalculated losses.Theresultsareingeneralagreementandconfirmthatthearmaturehasthe capabilitytoworkattheratedcurrentof2309Arms.Thecryogenicsystemsoperated withoutanyproblemsduringtheseruns. Oneexplanationforthelowermeasuredlossesathighercurrentlevelsisthatatthese levelsthecopperwindingsarehotterthantheyoke,resultinginheattransferfromthe windingsintotheyokeandoutthroughtheyokecooling.Thiswouldalsoexplainthe reversedeffectatthelowercurrentlevels.

C. Load Tests
Thegeneratorwasconnectedtotheresistiveloadbank,rampedupto10,500rpm,and theexcitationlevelsteppedupgraduallytillthegeneratoroutputwas1.3MW(limitedby thetestfacility).Theterminalvoltagewas266Vrmslinetoline,andlinecurrentwas 1460Armsatthemaximumpowerlevel.Powerfactorwas0.985.Thegenerator efficiencycomputedfromthegeneratoroutputversustheinputpowerplustherated powerofthecryocoolercompressorisshowninFig.8.Theefficiencyisabout97%at1 MW,andapproaches98%(thedesignedvalue)asthepowerisincreasedtowardsthe designedratingof4MW. Steadystateheatrunsunderloadwereperformedupto1.05MW.Lossdataand temperatureswereconsistentwiththoseobtainedfromthenoloadruns.Voltageand currentimbalanceswerewithin2%,andwaveformsareasexpectedandareshowedin Figs.9and10.

Fig. 10. Line currents during 1 MW load test

Minimalwindageandpolefaceheatingwasobservedduringtheloadtests.

Fig.11.Atmosphericwindageresultsto10,000RPM.

D. Zero-Excitation Windage Tests

Windagetestswereperformedatfivespeedswithdegradedvacuumintheairgap. Thermalsteadystatewasachievedatthelowerspeedsandtransienttestswere performedathigherspeedsduetohighrotorandstatortemperaturesnotallowingsteady statetobeobtained.Thetorqueismeasuredbythetorquemeter,andthecomputed powerlossisplottedinFig.11. Apowercurveoftheformtorque=(constant)*(speed)nisfittedthroughthedata.The exponentforwindagetorqueisfoundasn~1.44,andsincewindagepowerloss =(torque)*(speed),itsexponentofspeedis(n+1)~1.44.Thisisconsistentwithour expectationthatwindagepowerlosshasn~23forlossesbetweenconcentriccylinders withnoaxialflow.Amaximumpowerlossof40kWismeasuredforaspeedof10,000rpm in1atmospherepressure,andthisshowstheneedforlowpressureforhighspeed operation. AlsoshowninFig.11areplotsrepresentingthepredictionsfromtwodifferentrotating cylinderlossmodels.Eachofthesemodelsassumesaperfectlycylindricalsurfacespinning inathinannularspace.ThegeometryoftheMEPSrotorisverydifferentfromthis,with foursalientpolesoneachendandalowerdiametermidsection.Theapproachherewas tousetherelationshipbetweenthesalientpoledepthtorotorradiusratioandasmooth cylinderwindagemultiplyingfactor,developedbyVrancik.Inthecaseofourrotor,the calculatedsmoothcylinderwindagevaluedeterminedbytheaforementionedwindage models,weremultipliedbyafactorof5.Whilethemajorityofthewindagelossesoccur duetothecylindricalsurface,thepredictionsinFig.11includeaddingtheeffectsofthe twosidedisksthatrepresenttheendsofthecylinder.Thedisklosses(associatedwith heatingduetotheairfrictiononthesidesofthespinningcylinder)werecalculatedusing thesamemodel,applicabletoasolidcirculardisk.Forthepurposesofthiscalculation,the outerdiameterofthesalientpolewasusedasthediskdiameter. Thedataclearlyfallwithintheregimeofbothwindagemodels,fittingthemodelofRan slightlybetter,especiallyatthehigherspeedrange.Thecurvefitalsofollowsthetwo windagemodelcurvesreasonablywell,butitisclearthattherateofincreasenearthe higherspeedsisnotthesameasthewindagemodels. Severalwindagetestswereperformedatthelowestpressuresattainableinthe machine,~375533Pa.Threeofthetestswereopencircuitheatruns,twowerefullload

tests,andonewasazeroexcitationtest.Nonewererunasanactualwindagetest,butwe wereabletotakemeasurementsbeforethefieldexcitationwasapplied,thusenablinga windage+frictiontestpointatthespeedoftheparticularelectricaltest.Thewindageand friction ThewindageandfrictionmeasurementincludesbearingandFerrofluidicseallosses.To determinethewindagecontribution,theymustbesubtractedbecause,unlikethe1atm windagetests,theyarenotnegligible.TheFerrofluidicseallossesweremeasuredby measuringtheirremovalbytheFerrofluidicsealwatercoolingcircuit,andtheestimated bearinglosseswereestimatedbyscalingfromthemanufacturersstatedlosses.Thelosses werequiteconstantacrossallthetests.Toobtainthewindageloss,thebearingandFerro fluidicseallossesaresubtractedfromthewindageandfrictionmeasurement.Whilethere issomescatterinthedata,itshowsthewindagetobeabout1.5kW. ThewindageandfrictionmeasurementincludesbearingandFerrofluidicseallosses.To determinethewindagecontribution,theymustbesubtractedbecause,unlikethe1atm windagetests,theyarenotnegligible.TheFerrofluidicseallossesweremeasuredby measuringtheirremovalbytheFerrofluidicsealwatercoolingcircuit,andtheestimated bearinglosseswereestimatedbyscalingfromthemanufacturersstatedlosses.Thelosses werequiteconstantacrossallthetests.Toobtainthewindageloss,thebearingandFerro fluidicseallossesaresubtractedfromthewindageandfrictionmeasurement.Whilethere issomescatterinthedata,itshowsthewindagetobeabout1.5kW.

V. ECONOMIC EVALUATION
The economic judgments associated with anytechnology program are always done in the contextoftheorganizationmakingthejudgment.Thatcontextincludes: Aviewoftheexternalmarket(inthiscase,thepowergenerationmarket) Estimatesabouttheprogressontechnology Financialconsiderations(costofmoney,etc.)

As such, different organizations may arrive at different conclusions for a given technologyopportunity.ThatislikelytobethecaseforHTSgenerators. GEs economic evaluation of the HTS generator is based on proprietary information thatcannotbedisclosed.However,generalcommentsandhighlevelconsiderationsof benefitsvs.costcanillustratehowtheevaluationwasmade.

Possible HTS Generator Benefits

The benefits of any HTS generator in a power generation application may include Thevalueofavoidedlosses. Any possible reduction in the capital cost of the generator because of the HTS rotor.
Avoided losses can represent either fuel notburned or incremental sales of electricity

Potentialrevenuebecauseofenhancedreactivepowercapacity(VARS) Incrementalimprovementsingeneratorreliability Improvedpowerplantstability

andthat choice is at the discretion of the power plant operator. The value will depend greatlyon the cost of fuel, the number of operating hours per year, and the market price forelectricity.

Studies done within this program and elsewhere confirm that reductions in the overall generator cost are possible if a generator were initially designed with an HTS rotor.Mostof those savings are related to an improved use of ventilation that allows foranoverallhigherpowerdensity. The opportunity for revenue from enhanced reactive capability appears to be highlysituational. In some instances, reactive power capacity may have a welldefined value.However, there is no generally accepted means to establish that value for the general case, nor a means to compensate a power plant owner for any additional reactivepowercapacityintheHTSgenerator.

It is quite possible the HTS rotor will offer reliability benefits to the generator ownersimply becausetherotorwouldexperiencefarfewerthermalexcursionsoveritslifetime.Thatlessened thermal duty may translate into a delayed rotor rewind after 20 25 years. However, that improved reliability must be considered in the context of a more complex generator. The transfer coupling and the cryocooler are additional components in the power train that represent instances of single point failures. Redundant cryocoolers couldbe included but at an additionalcost.Nonetheless,thetransferofcoolantontotherotorwouldremainaweakpoint. Improvements in power plant stability have been cited as driving forces for superconducting generators in some countries. However, as with the reactive power capacity, this benefit is certainlysituationalandcannotsupporta generalbusinesscaseforthistechnology.

Costs of the HTS Generator

TheadditionalcostsoftheHTSgeneratorinautilityapplicationinclude GEs investigation into the cost structure for the HTS generator shows that the highercostfor thegeneratorisdrivenbythreemajorfactors:

Apossiblehighercapitalcost Anincreaseinmaintenancecosts

ThecostoftheHTSwire, ThecosttosupporttheHTScoilduringoperation,and Thecostofthecryocooler.

Table61showsthecomparativecostofthe100MVAHTSgeneratorasapercentageofthecost of the conventional generator assuming an HTS wire cost of $25/kAm. The HTS coil, the refrigeration, and the mechanical support represent an extra 70% cost beyond the same functional components in the conventional generator. These estimates are based on GEs judgmentofmatureproductcostsgiventhepresenttechnology.

Regardlessofthecostofthegenerator,theHTSgeneratorinthepowerplantrepresentsan on going cost to the plant operator. Maintenance personnel will have to be assigned(parttime) to monitor the equipment and perform periodic maintenance of the refrigeration system. Thiscostwillbeassumedtobe$20,000/year.

Table 5-1 - Cost of 100 MVA HTS Generator Compared to Conventional Generator

Base Generator Cost Field Coil (*) Refrigeration Rotor Forging & Coil Support Other Rotor Stator & Final Assembly Exciter Total Generator Cost
* For $25/kA-m HTS wire

HTS Generator Cost 34% 21 35 19 58 9 176%

11% --9 12 59 9 100%

Economic Assessment
Given the potential benefits of higher efficiency and the prospect of significantly greater

generatorcosts,onecanboundtheoveralleconomicviabilityoftheHTSgenerator. Table 52 shows a simple model of the value of the avoided losses. It assumes the improved losses shown in Table 52 (265 kW) and considers both a baseloaded generator operating 8000 hours per year and a unit operated only 3000 hours per year(quite typical of smalleraircooledgenerators).Furthermore,thetableconsidersthecostofHTSwireoverarange from $150/kAm to $5/kAm. The present value of the losses is based on incremental electricity salesat$35/MWhrovera15yearperiodat15%costofmoney. Table53addressesthebenefitsfora575MVAhydrogencooledgenerator. One simple question: Does the more efficient HTS generator return enough capital topay for its HTS wire? Table 52 shows that, for the most part, the 100 MVA generatordoes not. The only exceptions are for a cyclicloaded unit with very inexpensive wire ($5/kAm) or a base loaded unit with wire at $25/kAm or less. In contrast, Table 53 shows that the efficiency benefitofthelargergeneratorissufficienttocoverthewirecostinmostcases. ThisassessmentshowsthathighoperatinghoursandinexpensiveHTSwirearenecessaryfor the HTS generator to be economically viable. However, they are not sufficient. As Table 51

showed,thecostoftherefrigerationandcoilsupportremainexpensivecomponentsintherotor assembly. Improvements in refrigeration and wire characteristics (higher operating temperatures andstraincapacity)areneeded.

Table 5-2 - Benefits of Efficiency Savings on a 100 MVA Generator

kW hrs/yr

Base Load Loss Savings Operating Hours 265 8000 74 20 54 317 150 NO 25 YES

Cyclic Operation 265 3000 28 20 8 46 150 NO 25 NO 5 YES

Incremental Electricity Sales $1,000/yr Annual Maintenance Net Benefit Present Value of Benefit HTS Wire Price Covers the HTS Wire Cost?

$1,000/yr $1,000/yr $1,000

$/kA-m

YES

T bl 5 3 B

fit

f Effi i
kW

S i t 575 MVA G Base Load Cyclic Operation 2000 8000 560 20 540 3158 150 YES 25 YES

Loss Savings Operating Hours

2000 3000 210 20 190 1111 150 NO 25 YES 5 YES

hrs/yr

Incremental Electricity Sales $1,000/yr Annual Maintenance Net Benefit Present Value of Benefit HTS Wire Price Covers the HTS Wire Cost?
$1,000/yr $1,000/yr $1,000

$/kA-m

YES

Conclusions
GEhasconcludedthatgiventhecurrentHTStechnologyandthecostoftheHTSwire,thecost disadvantage of a 100 MVA HTS generator, combined with its relativelyinfrequentoperation, morethanoffsetsanyefficiencybenefits. Larger generators with ratings greater than 500 MW may be suitable candidates for theHTS technology. They offer greater efficiency benefits and are more likely to be operatedas base

loadedunits.Furthermore,somecosttrendsscalemoreslowlythantherating,sofactors that are significant for small generators may be less significant in largergenerators.

VI. CONCLUSION
An HTS HIA high-speed generator was designed, built, and tested. It produced 1.3 MW of electrical power under resistive load in a dynamometer test cell at a speed exceeding 10,000 rpm and with a closed cycle neon cryogenic HTS cooling system. This satisfied all specifications of the Air Force contract. Generator operating characteristics were measured and compared to design predictions, leading to the conclusion that the design methods are adequate for a non-linear HIA machine. In addition, valuable data on windage losses of the salient-pole rotor at high speeds and low air pressures, for which no precise models exist, were gathered.

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