MAI Tested a Superconducting Engine for a Promising Aircraft

October 24, 2019
On October 15, 2019, for the first time in Russia, young scientists from the Department 310 “Electric Power, Electromechanical and Biotechnical Systems” of Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University) successfully tested a completely superconducting electric machine. Its rotor and stator windings are made of modern high-temperature superconducting (HTSC) tapes. All work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation.The electric machine is intended for use on board promising aircraft - primarily all-electric aircraft. The mass distribution of electric motors will reduce the amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere, the cost of maintaining the fleet and increase efficiency.Tests have shown high compliance of the experimental data with the performance predictions incorporated in the design. In the future, the results can be used in the development of new electric machines for promising power plants.Konstantin Lvovich Kovalev, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Head of MAI Department 310: “The technology can be called breakthrough, because there are no analogues in Russia and almost all over the world. There were attempts to make machines where there is only an armature winding (on an alternating current of the stator), but they were unsuccessful. We managed to make a fully superconducting machine.Superconductors, which have proven themselves well in direct current, have so far been used only in the windings of rotors and inductors. The complex of our experimental studies showed that at liquid nitrogen temperatures even at alternating current superconductors have low losses (and also that their use is possible in armature windings). The use of superconducting materials can increase the specific power of electric motors when cooled by nitrogen above 10 kW / kg. And at a lower cooling temperature - raise it up to 30-50 kW / kg, which makes it possible to create a fully electric aircraft. This refers to the organization of the electric propulsion system and propeller drive (generators, engines). Specifically, this instance, of course, is too early to build in the aircraft, but it has shown its efficiency."It is worth mentioning that the team of scientists is widely known in the world and occupies one of the leading positions in applied superconductivity. A few years ago, they created electric generators for wind energy and marine transport, a superconducting motor for electric vehicles, as well as a kinetic energy storage with contactless magnetic bearings based on HTSC. For these works, the development team was awarded prizes of the Government of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology.
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