Superconducting technology visualised

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Sep 26, 2005

Cutting-edge expertise at the University of Birmingham has helped a British company visualise a new breed of superconducting electrical machines.

Cutting-edge expertise at the University of Birmingham has helped a British company visualise a new breed of superconducting electrical machines.

Advanced 3D modelling and visualisation techniques have been used by the team at VIN Technology Services, a business gateway to the university's technology and expertise, to demonstrate to potential investors how the ground-breaking new superconducting devices will be fabricated in a future pilot plant.

The new high temperature superconductor (HTS) technology has been developed by Malvern-based Coated Conductors Consultancy (3-Cs) and will potentially increase the efficiency of any high-power electrical machine, greatly reduce the weight and size, and ultimately lower the production costs.

The new superconducting machines will be used in the energy, transport and medical sectors and will result in massive reductions in carbon emissions in the power generation and distribution sector alone.

Dr Eamonn Maher, Managing Director and founder of 3-Cs said: "The power density available in these new machines will be much greater than in copper-wound equivalents".

"To illustrate the point, a 1cm square section of copper wire can carry 100A, whereas in the new superconducting thin-film electrical machines the equivalent cross-sectional area will carry as much as 1MA".

Gino Bellavia, Head of VIN explained: "The HTS technology really is revolutionary and incredibly complex".

"Simply put the technology means, for example, that a 200hp electric motor, weighing nearly a tonne and about the size of an oil drum, could potentially be reduced to the size of a pint glass and carried by hand".

"The challenge is taking this complicated technology and explaining it to investors".

"Using our advanced visualisation techniques we were able to develop a 3D model and high impact video to demonstrate how the devices will be manufactured in practice".

The new 3-Cs technology eliminates the need for long lengths of expensive superconducting tape, known as coated conductor, replacing it with high temperature superconducting films deposited directly onto rotating cylinders which are then patterned to form coils.

Dr Maher continued: "We know the technology will work and we needed VIN to produce a video to show how it would revolutionise the way electrical machinery is manufactured".

"VIN was able to take our concepts and drawings and develop a clear 3D model and video that makes it easier to explain the massive leap forward we had made to nontechnical investors".

Since working with VIN the company has taken the first steps in turning its revolutionary vision into a reality, bridging the gap between the earlier feasibility studies (also carried out in collaboration with the University of Birmingham) and securing the investment needed to develop a prototype.

Earlier this year the company was visited by the US Department of Energy which has shown considerable interest in the cutting-edge technology.

This project is one of a wide variety of business partnerships being undertaken by VIN Technology Services.

With support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Advantage West Midlands, VIN provides access to advanced technology and analysis expertise to eligible small and medium sized (SMEs) businesses across the West Midlands.