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news release:
American Superconductor
Demonstrates World's First Full-Scale High Temperature Superconductor Degaussing
Cable for Military Ships
Washington, DC, Apr. 4: American Superconductor
Corporation (NASDAQ:
AMSC) , a leading energy technologies company, today announced at the annual
U.S. Navy League Sea-Air-Space Conference -- the premier gathering for
presenting new naval technologies -- the successful demonstration of the world's
first full-scale superconductor-based degaussing cable. Degaussing cables are
utilized in most navy ships to reduce their magnetic signature, thereby making
them much more difficult to be "seen" by magnetic sensors and specifically by
magnetically activated mines. The HTS degaussing cable that was demonstrated --
a proprietary AMSC design that incorporates AMSC's high temperature
superconductor (HTS) wire -- is 142 feet (40 meters) long.
The cable produced 4,100 Amp-turns -- a typical
level of performance of conventional copper-based degaussing cables deployed in
military ships today -- with a significant decrease in operating voltage to less
than 0.5 volts, or 1000 times lower than copper-based systems. Importantly, the
HTS degaussing cable is only 20% of the weight of conventional degaussing
cables. The substantial reductions in weight, size and number of terminations
are expected to yield a reduction in total installed cost of 40% compared with
degaussing systems based on copper. In addition, because of the zero electrical
resistance of HTS wires, less energy is required to run HTS degaussing systems.
According to Mr. Brian Fitzpatrick, Project
Engineer at the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), in a paper he
delivered at American Society of Naval Engineers Day 2005: "Replacing the copper
conductor cabling in a typical degaussing system with a superconducting cable
offers the potential benefits of both reduced conductor weight and reduced
number of conductor turns. The reduction in cable size that is possible with the
superconducting cable will provide additional benefits since, for most
degaussing loops only one physical turn of its flexible cryostat is required.
Installation benefits are also achieved with reduced power supply electrical
requirements and reduced size and weight of power supply system."
AMSC produces HTS wires today that conduct more
than 150 times the electrical current of copper wires of the same dimensions.
For a typical military ship such as the U.S. Navy's LPD 17 class amphibious
warship, this "power density" advantage means the HTS degaussing systems will
weigh 20% of the weight of an advanced copper-based degaussing system --
yielding not only a significant reduction in system weight, but also in
installed cost.
Degaussing cable systems currently represent a
worldwide annual addressable market of $100 million. They are utilized in
virtually all of the world's naval vessels.
"Our HTS wires are a platform technology that are
creating product opportunities in multiple markets and industrial sectors around
the world because of their distinct advantages in power density and electrical
efficiency," said Greg Yurek, AMSC's chief executive officer. "In addition to
lighter weight and lower cost degaussing cables, we have also been developing
much lighter weight, smaller volume, much more energy efficient HTS ship
propulsion motors for the U.S. Navy. We expect to deliver the first 36.5MW HTS
ship propulsion motor to the Navy in September 2006."
Technical Background
The 142 foot (40 meter) long HTS degaussing loop
developed by AMSC is based on a proprietary cabling technique that allows the
wires to remain flexible within their containment jacket and conform to
installation requirements for integration into typical naval ships. The cables
are housed in commercial cryostats that provide the necessary thermal insulation
to allow the cable to operate at needed temperatures. The cable is cooled by
AMSC's patented gas circulation system utilizing a commercial refrigerator. In
addition to its physical advantages, an HTS-based degaussing system will offer
significantly lower reactance relative to equivalent copper cable systems. This
characteristic, in turn, will offer improved performance relative to current
systems in use today.
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