Research Topic

High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) have an enormous potential for significantly improving existing power systems, such as cables, motors, transformers, magnets and generators, because higher power densities and reduced losses can be achieved by replacing copper or low temperature superconductor wires. Superconducting materials will also enable completely new technologies in the power sector, such as fault current limiters or inherently stable magnetic levitation. As examples for innovative applications, advanced energy systems for “all-electrical” ships, off-shore windmills and transportation systems should be mentioned. Although research on the materials aspects of HTS has been highly successful in the past, the development of low cost - high performance HTS materials remains a key factor of success and, in order to bring these emerging materials onto the market in a reasonable time frame, requires significantly more basic and applied materials research. The development of HTS materials for power applications is a highly multidisciplinary task involving chemistry, physics, materials science and electrical engineering. This task is currently addressed along three quite differently oriented routes:

1. the construction and implementation of the first “real” industrial systems based on HTS materials,
   
2. the development of HTS coated conductors (CC) and MgB₂ tapes and wires that will result in economic conductor production and
   
3. the controlled nano-engineering of superconducting materials (highly textured HTS bulk materials and thin films, polycrystalline MgB₂) to enhance flux pinning and thus to improve the material to the necessary performance in magnetic fields.

These advanced materials are essential for industry to enable the further development and marketing of “real-world” HTS systems.  Only when these HTS applications are in the market, the community will benefit from the technical, economical and environmental potential that superconductivity holds. In addition to these materials aspects, in order to allow a successful introduction of superconductivity into the market other enabling technologies, such as cryo-coolers and cryogenic envelopes, need to be significantly advanced. The planned Research and Training Network will strongly accelerate these developments towards industrial applicability by forming a multidisciplinary research team with leading experts from European universities (University of Cambridge, Vienna University of Technology, ILTSR Wroclaw), research centres (IFW Dresden, Slovak Academy of Science, Research Center Karlsruhe, ICMAB Barcelona) and both large companies (Siemens AG, Nexans, Ansaldo) as well as SME´s (Stirling, Columbus), who are willing and keen to train young researchers on a broad range of relevant topics.

The project will focus on the most promising superconducting materials, preparation techniques, applications and cryogenic developments for the envisaged power application systems. Therefore, the materials research topics will be restricted to RE123 coated conductors, RE123 bulk material and MgB₂ wires and tapes. There, improving the critical current density as the central figure of merit of superconducting materials for power applications requires the controlled incorporation of a high density of nano-scale defects into an undisturbed crystalline matrix. The electrical engineering issues under consideration will concentrate on reducing ac-losses in superconducting wires and tapes by innovative conductor designs with micrometer scaled structures in the superconductor, which can only be realized by means of material processing in the nanometer scale. The industrial aspects are focused on scale-up the material preparation and the realization of superconducting cables, motors, magnets and the cryogenics involved.

Therefore the central research efforts of the project will:

1. Use innovative nano-engineering material techniques for high performance HTS bulk superconductors, coated conductors and Powder-in-Tube (PIT) MgB₂-tapes
2. Develop new strategies for low ac-loss conductors
3. Use advanced analysis and simulation techniques to obtain a better understanding of the underlying physical and electrical properties.
4. Integrate these improved superconducting materials into industrial power application demonstrator systems
5. Develop the required cryogenic technology to a maintenance level that will be acceptably low to the end users.

The expected benefits from the Research and Training Network are manifold:

• Development of superconducting materials that significantly improve the performance of  power application systems at reduced production costs
• Accelerated incorporation of advanced superconducting materials into industrial power application systems
• Development of a mutual understanding of critical key factors among materials scientists, electrical engineers and researchers in industry, developing power systems