Compact Superconducting Power Systems for Airborne Applications

In the development of future airborne megawatt-class power generation, it is important to minimize both the size and the weight of the system. The primary means of increasing the power density within the generator, as for all rotating machinery such as motors and alternators, is to maximize the magnetic flux density. This can be achieved by using a higher current-carrying capacity wire to increase the ampere-turns in the windings without adding more turns via a longer length of wire. This has already been accomplished through the incorporation of superconducting wire in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) magnets used in the medical field.