Design and AC loss analysis of a superconducting synchronous motor

This paper gives a conceptual design of a superconducting synchronous motor consisting of both high-temperature superconducting rotating field winding and armature winding. The AC losses of the armature winding of the motor have been investigated experimentally and numerically, by considering the self-field of the superconducting coils and the rotating magnetic field exposed on the armature winding. The recent developments of YBCO-coated conductors present the possibility of achieving a wholly superconducting machine of significantly smaller size and weight than a conventional machine. Both the rotating field winding and the armature winding are composed of YBCO high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils. A low AC loss armature winding design has been developed for this superconducting synchronous motor. The performance of the machine was investigated by modelling with the finite-element method. The machine's torque is calculated from first principles by considering the angle between the field and the armature main flux lines.