Development and Manufacture of High
Temperature Superconductor Wire and
Electrical Systems
IEE Viscount Nuffield/Mensforth Lecture
4 December 2003
Presented by:
Dr. Gregory J. Yurek, President and CEO
American Superconductor Corporation
11
1
Superconductor Breakthroughs Launch a New Era
“Superconductivity, once a
dead end, becomes the
hottest thing in physics”
- Time Magazine
May 11, 1987
22
Outline
• Superconductivity Basics
• Requirements for Wire Manufacturing
• Current Wire Manufacturing Practices
• Second Generation Superconductor Wire
• Applications: Rotating Machines and Cables
• Conclusions
33
Superconductors: Zero Resistance Below A
Critical Temperature
Tc
Liquid Helium
Operation
Cooling with liquid helium is very expensive
44
1987: High Temperature Superconductors (HTS)
HTS materials operate at 5 to 20 times higher temperature
55
Relative Cost of Cooling
Commercial
Cryogenic
Refrigerators
Relative
Cost of
Cooling
Motors and
Generators
LTS
0
Liquid Nitrogen
(Cables, Transformers)
HTS
20
40
Temperature, Kelvin Scale
66
60
80
Full Requirements for the Superconductor State
Jc (Ic)
Tc = f(composition)
Jc = f(processing, composition, microstructure)
Hc= f(processing, composition, microstructure)
Values of the critical temperature, current and magnetic field determined by manufacturing
77
Normalized Critical Current (Ic/Ic)
By The Way…HTS Materials are Ceramics
°
1.0
Critical current, Ic, drops
precipitously at a critical strain
Єc = f(wire architecture, comp.)
0
0
Strain (Є), %,
Ceramics are inherenetly brittle
88
Example of HTS Ceramic Superconductors
• (La, Sr)2 Cu O4
• Y1 Ba2 Cu3 O7 (“YBCO – 123”: Tc = 93K)
• (Bi, Pb)2.1 Sr2 Ca2 Cu3 O10 (“BSCCO – 2223”: Tc = 110K)
• Tl2 Ca2 Ba2 Cu3 O10
Complex copper oxides, or “cuprates”
99
Crystal Structures of Anisotropic HTS Materials
c
b
YBCOYBCO-123
a
CuO Tetrahedra or Planes
Oxygen
Sr (BSCCO) or Ba (YBCO)
Bi, Pb
Ca (BSCCO) or Y (YBCO)
BSCCOBSCCO-2223
Supercurrent flows preferentially along the a-b crystal planes
10
10
Anisotropic HTS Materials
• Growth habit is planar: platlets grow during heat treatments
• Supercurrents flow along the a-b planes: parallel to platlet surfaces
• Single crystal (one platlet) yields highest Jc
HTS Single
Crystal Platlet
c
a
Platlet Growth
Are
Are single
single crystal
crystal wires
wires required??
required??
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11
b
The HTS Wire Manufacturing Challenge
• High performance (high degree of crytalline orientation)
• High volume, low-cost manufacturing
• Flexible, durable wire
• Meet customer specifications (application dependent)
Ceramics processing methodologies do not meet these challenges
12
12
The Solution: Metal/Ceramic Composites
Compacted
HTS Powder
Oxygen
Diffusion
Metal Sheath
(Silver)
Powder encased in a noble metal sheath, deformed into a wire by wire drawing
13
13
High Performance Requires Crystalline Alignment
HTS Single
Crystal Platlet
c
a
Platlet Growth
Round wire does not yield required alignment of platlets
14
14
b
Tape-Shaped Wires To Optimize Critical Current
Wire Drawing of HTS
Powder in Silver Tube
Roll to Tape-Shaped Wire
Intermediate heat treatments optimize growth of HTS platlets parallel to tape surface
15
15
“Brick Wall” Model for Current Flow
Current
c axis
Current
Microstructural Blacksmithing: very careful “heating and beating” to optimize Ic
16
16
Normalized Critical Current (Ic/Ic)
Overcoming the Brittleness Problem
°
1.0
0
Strain (Є), %,
0
A single ceramic filament in a silver sheath does not overcome the inherent brittleness
17
17
Multi-Filamentary Composite to Optimize Flexibility
and Durability
Divide and conquer inherently brittle ceramics
18
18
Multi-Filamentary Wire Fabrication Process
Powder Production
Part 1:
Precursor
Fabrication
Sealing in Billet
Rebundling
Wire Drawing
Deformation
Deformation
Multi-Die
Wire Drawing
Part 2:
Microstructural
Blacksmithing
Rolling
Heat Treatment
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19
Manufacturing (Bi, Pb)2.1 Sr2 Ca2 Cu3 O10 Powder
Precise control of chemistry on a large scale at Devens wire plant
20
20
HTS Powder is Packed into Silver Alloy Tubes
Tubes are evacuated to remove gaseous impurities
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21
The Rod Mill at AMSC’s Devens Plant
Packed and evacuated tube is drawn to rod on wire draw benches
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22
Capstan Drawing of Rods to Wire at Devens
Multiple capstan draws to reduce diameter and increase length
23
23
Wire Drawing to Form Monofilament “Hexes”
Rebundling forms the basis for multi-filamentary composite wires
24
24
Wire Draw Process Repeated with Hex Bundle
Next Step: Roll multi-filamentary round to tape-shaped wire
25
25
Final Manufacturing Steps: Round to Flat
145 cm X 6.4 cm starting billet Æ 3,570 m final tape-shaped wire (0.2 x 4 mm)
26
26
Wire Lamination Process: The Last Step
Stainless Steel
Laminate
HTS Wire
Solder Bath
Stainless Steel
Laminate
Wire customization occurs in the final manufacturing step
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27
Customized
Mechanical
Properties
Lamination to Tailor Mechanical Properties
Un-Laminated
STAINLESS STEEL LAMINATED WIRE
1
°
Normalized Critical
Ic/Ico Current, Ic/Ic
UN-LAMINATED WIRE
Laminated
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0
100
200
300
Stress
at 77Kat(MPa)
Tensile
Stress
77K, MPa
28
28
400
500
AMSC’s Devens Wire Manufacturing Plant
•
January 2003 – began production in new
355,000 square foot plant
•
Currently facilitized for 900,000 meters per year
•
Designed for just-in-time expansion
•
Plan $4 million of additional equipment in next
18 months to triple capacity
Devens HTS Wire Plant
Orders for over 700,000 meters received January to September 2003
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29
Critical Current Continues to Improve at Devens Plant
160
W e s tb o r o
Pilot
Plant (2002)
D
e
v e(2003)
ns
Devens
140
120
Avg = 123 Amperes
100
Frequency
Avg = 148 Amperes
170 km
140 km
80
60
40
20
0
95
100
105
110
115
120
125
130
135
140
145
150
155
160
165
170
175
Ic
am ps)
Ic, (Amps
148 Amp average performance (77 K – Liquid Nitrogen) is best in class production wire
30
30
Power Density: A Key HTS Advantage
AMSC’s HTS wire carries more than 140X the current of copper wire of the same dimensions
31
31
What Does It Cost?
• Price/Performance Ratio =
Price ($/m)
= $/kAm
Ic (in kA at 77K)
• Price = Manufacturing Costs + Other Costs + Profit
• Ic = f(processing, composition, microstructure)
32
32
Price/Performance Ratio of AMSC’s HTS Wire
Continues to Improve
Electrical Performance
(Amps) for Production Wires
$/kA-m
1000
160
140
120
800
100
80
600
World’s First HTS Wire
Manufacturing Plant
Opened By AMSC
400
Multifilamentary
Composite Wire
200
0
1995
1996
1997
1998
60
Current, Amps
Price/Performance Ratio, $/kA-m
1200
40
20
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
0
2004
Reduced manufacturing costs and increased wire performance drive broader
and deeper market penetration
33
33
The Next Generation of HTS Wires
Multi-Filamentary Composite
(AMSC first generation:
commercial, in production)
Coated Conductor Composite
(AMSC second generation:
under development)
2G Goal: Form-Fit-Function replacement at same performance, with 2-5X lower
price/performance ratio
34
34
2G HTS Wire
• Tape-shaped substrate produced by
deformation texturing
- Baseline process utilizes nickel-tungsten alloy
- Forms nearly a single crystal over long lengths
- Creates template for highly oriented
HTS coating
• Buffer stack consists of Y2O3/YSZ/CeO2
- Transfers crystalline texture of substrate
- Prevents reaction between substrate and
HTS coating
• YBCO-123
- 1 micron thick coating
- Picks up crystalline texture of buffer layer
- Coating approaches single crystal –
optimizes Jc
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35
YBCO
CeO2
YSZ
Y2O3
NiW
Substrate
2G Coated Conductor Fabrication Process
Substrate Production
Buffer Deposition
YBCO Precursor
Coating
YBCO Formation
36
36
Production of Wide Coated Sheets Followed By Slitting
Single Coating Operation Produces Many Wires!
Target price/performance ratio: less than that of copper
37
37
Crossover Points:
1st Generation HTS, 2nd Generation HTS, Copper
Wire Volume
2G:Copper $/kAm
Crossover at $25/kAm
1G:2G
Volume
Crossover
Future 2G
Price/Performance
Ratio Æ $10/kAm
2G Coated Conductor
2G Pilot Plant Installed
1G:2G $/kAm Crossover
1G Multi-filamentary
Time
1G Wire will be the “work horse” of the industry for the next 3-4 years
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38
Applications
• Rotating Machines
- Ship propulsion motors
- Synchronous condensers
- Generators
• Power Cables
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39
AMSC’s Three Business Units
Power
Power Electronic
Electronic
Systems
Systems
SuperMachines
SuperMachines
AMSC
AMSC Wires
Wires
Products for electric power, transportation, industrial and defense markets
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40
AMSC’s HTS Rotating Machine
Development History
Ship Propulsion (Low
Speed, High Torque)
1,000,000
Machine Torque, ft-lbs
100,000
EPRI Motors
DOE Motors
10,000
5MW
230 rpm
1,000
1,000 hp
100
100 hp
10
1
5,000 hp
1800 rpm
5 hp
2 hp
0.1
36.5MW
8MW 120 rpm
1800 rpm
AMSC Machines
0.01
0.001
0.0001
(Reliance Motors/AMSC Coils)
DC Motors
1991
AC Synchronous Machines
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
Over 10 years of development activity with various partners
41
41
2005
The HTS Advantage: Ship Propulsion Motors
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
36.5 MW Conventional
(300 tons)
Less than half the size
Less than one-third the weight
Higher net efficiency
Lower operating costs
Equivalent prices
Inherently quieter
Design flexibility
36.5 MW HTS
(75 tons)
Commercial ship propulsion annual worldwide addressable market: $450 million
42
42
July 2003: First HTS Ship Propulsion Motor
• Delivered prototype 5MW
motor on schedule, on budget
• Standard power rating for
military and commercial ships
• Expect first order for sea trials
within six months
Commercial ship propulsion motors are 5-40 MW power rating
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43
5 MW Navy Motor
• HTS Polesets and
Cryogenic Refrigeration
System
• Stator and Rotor Assembly
• 5 MW Motor on Load Test
Stator, final assembly and load testing by ALSTOM Power Conversion
44
44
New U.S. Navy Contract
• 36.5MW HTS electric warship propulsion motor
• Awarded February 2003 to AMSC (prime contractor)
• $70 million in revenue through March 2006
• Northrop Grumman is subcontractor
Positions AMSC as a prime HTS motor source worldwide
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45
Major Power Blackouts All Too Frequent
Denmark ‘03
London ‘03
Northeast USA ‘03
West Coast ‘96
New Orleans ‘99
Italy ‘03
Chicago ‘99
New York ‘99
Delaware ‘99
Detroit ‘00
San Francisco ‘00
Northern California ‘01
Atlanta ‘99
TVA: 90% of recent major blackouts were voltage collapses
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46
Root Causes of August 14 Blackout
Elusive Force May Lie at Root of Blackout
Reactive Power, Crucial to Grid, Is Studied
“…it was a shortage of this elusive force…that
experts now say probably set off the largest blackout
in North American history on August 14.”
September 23, 2003
47
47
Blackouts Drive Need For Dynamic VAR Products
“Priority #1 to Prevent Blackouts: Voltage
and Reactive Power Management”
- North American Electric Reliability Council
October 15, 2003
48
48
AMSC’s Dynamic Reactive Power Systems
• D-VAR®, D-VARLiteTM, D-SMES, SuperVARTM
- Instantly stabilize the grid by injecting VARs
- Highly cost effective
- No right-of-way or siting issues
Rotating Machines Platform
Power Electronics Platform
D-VAR / D-SMES / D-VARLite
Introduced July 2000
SuperVAR
TVA is Launch Customer
Prototype delivered November 2003
U.S. annual addressable market is estimated at 30,000 MVAR
49
49
SuperVAR Synchronous Condenser
• HTS Saddle Coils – a key
manufacturing advance
• SuperVAR HTS Cryogenic
Rotor Assembly
• SuperVAR Exciter
Stator, final assembly and test by Ideal Electric
50
50
SuperVAR System Anatomy
®
All AMSC businesses participate in this product
51
51
First SuperVAR Prototype Shipped November 2003
Tennessee Valley Authority has ordered first 5 production units at 10 MVAR each
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52
Electric Generators: Key Growth Market
• GE Power Systems is building a 100MVA HTS generator
• AMSC is the HTS wire supplier
“ HTS generators have the potential for competitive
cost, high reliability, rapid market introduction and a
high probability of acceptance by the power
industry.”
Power Systems
October 28, 2002
Expect first 100MVA rotor retrofits in CY 2005/2006
53
53
Breaking Grid Bottlenecks: Superconductor Cables
• Power grid bottlenecks decrease reliability
• HTS power cables increase power throughput of
rights-of-way by 3-5X
• Very Low Impedance (VLI) superconductor cables
create controllability
HTS Cable demonstrations: Phase I completed (1996 – 2002)
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54
1999: Pirelli / EPRI High Voltage Tests
•
Cable Characteristics
-
•
115 kV
400 MVA equiv.
One phase, 50 meters
Warm Dielectric (“WD”)
Accomplishments
- First WD cable
- First flexible cryostat
- First high voltage WD
termination
55
55
2000: Southwire Industrial Installation
•
Cable Characteristics
-
•
12.4 kV
27 MVA
Three phase, 30 meters
Cold Dielectric (“CD”)
Accomplishments
- First CD cable
- First HTS cable delivering power to
an industrial customer
- First CD pressure termination
- Continuous operation of system
exceeding 2 years
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56
2001: NKT / Copenhagen Substation
•
Cable Characteristics
-
•
30 kV
104 MVA
Three phase, 30 meters
Warm Dielectric
Accomplishments
- First HTS cable operating in a
utility
- Continuous operation of system
exceeding 1 year
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57
2001: Sumitomo / TEPCO Test Facility
•
Cable Characteristics
-
•
66 kV
114 MVA
Three phase, 100 meters
Cold Dielectric
Accomplishments
- First compact 3-core cable
(3 phases in one cryostat)
- First high voltage CD
termination
58
58
2002: Pirelli / Detroit Edison Substation
•
Cable Characteristics
-
•
24 kV
100 MVA
Three phase, 120 meters
Warm Dielectric
Accomplishments
- First underground installation
- First field splices
- First hermetically sealed wire
Demonstration halted because of cryostat leaks
59
59
New HTS Power Cable Projects Worldwide
• 2004: Mexico City (Condumex)
• 2004: Yunnan, China (InnoPower)
• 2004: Lanzhou, China (Chang Tong Power Cable)
• 2004: Korea (LG Cable)
• 2005: Niagara Mohawk (Sumitomo Electric)
• 2005: Keyspan/LIPA (Nexans)
• 2005: American Electric Power (Ultera)
• 2005: Chubu Electric (Furukawa)
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Long Island Transmission Cable Project
• AMSC selected as prime contractor in April 2003
• 138 kV/600 meter transmission cable system
• Expect two larger follow-on extensions in 2006 and 2008
• Cable subcontractor: Nexans
• Cryogenics subcontractor: Air Liquide
First permanent installation of superconductor Smart Grid power cables
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61
Conclusions
• HTS wire manufacturing has made remarkable progress
since 1987
- Large-scale wire manufacturing has been accomplished
- Significant reductions in manufacturing costs have been achieved
- Continuous improvement of electrical and mechanical performance
continues
- Commercial wire sales underway
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62
Conclusions - continued
• Large-scale HTS prototype demonstrations accomplished
- Motors
- Generators
- Power Cables
- Electromagnets
• Manufacture of HTS components and large-scale systems
demonstrated
63
63
Conclusions - continued
• Advanced HTS prototypes (pre-commercial) underway
- 36.5 MW/120rpm Ship Propulsion Motor
- 10 MVAR Dynamic Synchronous Condenser (SuperVARTM)
- 138kV/600MVA Transmission Cable System
- 100MVA Generator
• Commercial order for first five 10MVAR HTS Dynamic
Synchronous Condensers (SuperVAR) now in hand
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64
Conclusions - continued
• Expect additional commercial orders for large-scale HTS
electrical systems over the next 6 to 18 months
- 5MW-class ship propulsion motors
- 10MVAR-class dynamic synchronous condensers
- 2Tesla-class magnetic processors
• Anticipate first commercial installations of HTS power
cables in the 2007 timeframe
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65
Conclusions - continued
• Second generation (2G) HTS wire has the potential for
2X to 5X reduction in manufacturing costs
• Lower cost 2G wire will expand and deepen the market
for HTS wire
• Expect 2G wire to start replacing current HTS wire
product in 3 to 4 years
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Second Electrical Century
“We’ve just completed the first electrical century,
ushered in by Thomas Edison. We’re now
entering a second electrical century, ushered in
by high temperature superconductivity.”
Kurt Yeager
President and CEO
Electric Power Research Institute
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