Physical limitations on the size of superconducting power transformers

The volume of a superconducting transformer is calculated by investigating the behaviour of an idealised, lossfree, interleaved transformer. Because of the limitation of leakage magnetic fields with superconducting windings, it is found that the volume is large compared with a conventional transformer of the same power rating. It is shown how the volume of an idealised transformer can be reduced. When account is taken of the additional factors involved in designing a real superconducting transformer, it seems very probable that its size will be so much larger than that of an equivalent conventional transformer as to be unacceptable.