Fabrication and excitation testing of a fully superconducting brushless generator with magnetic flux pump

Development of a highly efficient excitation system is important in enhancing the potential of superconducting ac generators. A new conceptual design in which electricity is generated with a brushless exciter system using a superconducting dynamo (the magnetic flux pump) has been proposed. Research on a fully superconducting generator using both a superconducting armature and a superconducting field winding has been under way for the past 7 years. In this paper an experimental model of the machine is described and test results on brushless excitation with the magnetic flux pump, with the machine operating as a fully superconducting brushless generator with an estimated capacity of 20 kVA, are presented.