Superconductors?

[ElectLect]

What is state of the art in superconductor technology? Are there any recommended suppliers of the stuff, or is it still at the Witch's brew stage? Recommended links will do fine.

I'm interested in a high power, high frequency, application. At this stage I am as interested in evaluating it's practical use, as I am designing for it. It may still not be a feasible application.

Any books I should read, or things I need to know? I take it it will not suffer any if I happen to run out of liquid nitrogen? How about it's shelf life? I take it I can build the system of interest, leave it for six months then expect it to superconduct as soon as I pour in liquid nitrogen?

Graham

 

[peebee]

Back to your original questions --

I recently (w/in the last year or two) read of the following two applications under development, but both are LOW frequency. . . .

1) New York City installing a medium (or high?) voltage feeder. Rather short, but extremely high ampacity. I read this in some email newsletter, unfortunatly I don't recall which one. . . .

2) The US Navy apparently ordered at least one (possibly several?) large superconducting motors as drives for. . . . aircraft carriers? some other type of boat or sub? Nitrogen cooled, very very compact and light, very high power/weight ratio, very efficient. This, I'm pretty sure, was in an IEEE Spectrum or IEEE/IAS magazine.

 

[ElectLect]

Thanks PeeBee. I've come across these in my literature search. The motor one in particular is quite interesting. These are the main propeller motors for the ship. There seems to be a break point when superconductors are more applicable than copper.