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news release: SIEMENS: Economical ships thanks to
superconductivity Aug. 16: Siemens has put into operation the first generator in the world with high- temperature superconductors (HTS) to provide an extremely energy- efficient form of propulsion for ships in the future. Instead of a copper magnet coil, the generator contains thin superconducting wires that conduct electric current with virtually no resistance at all. This results in almost a halving of weight and volume and a significant reduction in energy losses, leading ultimately to a significant improvement in electrical efficiency. The new generator is especially suitable for cruise ships and large motor yachts.It's not only cars that are becoming more fuel-efficient. Ships are also increasingly being designed to consume less fuel, and high-temperature superconductivity - a technology which until now has been largely confined to the realm of pure research or medical equipment - is set to play a crucial role in this development. Siemens researchers have now put into operation the world's first superconducting generator with high-temperature superconductors (HTS), which boasts an impressive output of 4 megavolt-amperes (MVA). This output would be sufficient to propel a 50-meter long luxury motor yacht and provide its electricity supply as well. The innovative synchronous generator with HTS winding in the rotor was developed jointly by Siemens Corporate Technology and the Siemens Business Groups Industrial Solutions & Services/ Industrial Plants/Marine Solutions (I&S IP MAS) and Automation & Drives/Large Drives (A&D LD). The HTS wire was supplied by European Advanced Superconductors GmbH & Co. KG (EAS), Hanau, one of the world's leading manufacturers and developers of
superconductors. The machine, which is the size of a Smart mini car, has a power rating 10 times higher than the predecessor model that was tested over a period of about three years in the system test center at Siemens A&D in Nuremberg. The neon-based cooling system, which cools the superconductor to icy temperatures, was tested with painstaking thoroughness. The highly compact rotor cooling system designed for low maintenance and low loss proved its endurance there over the duration of the
project. In the future, the HTS generators are to be used primarily on so-called ALL Electric Ships (AES). In such vessels, the propellers are not driven directly by large diesel engines and long shafts. Instead, fuel-burning engines are used to generate electric power, which is fed via cable to motors positioned in the direct vicinity of the ship's screws. Consequently the AES drive saves space because there are several small power generating units instead of an engine and shaft, and these can be accommodated more conveniently in the vessel. Hulls can also be made more narrow, thereby significantly reducing energy-consuming water
resistance. About 30 percent of all new ships built today are all electric, and practically every new cruise ship is of this type. Electric drives run much more quietly than chugging diesel engines, so the passengers feel the comfort. Moreover, the energy is used not only for propulsion but also for the on-board hotel services. Approximately one third is used for cooking, lighting and passenger amenities. "This trend will continue," says Bernd Wacker, project manager at Siemens Corporate Technology in Erlangen. There is good reason for the popularity of the new system. Cruise ships or private yachts don't necessarily move at uniform speed across the sea, but call in at a large number of ports and put in bursts of speed in between. Since there are a number of small power generators on board large all electric ships (about three per ship's screw) the number of generators switched in can be adjusted to the optimum required. At any one time only some machines are running at full speed while the others are in stand-by. That's more efficient than having one large diesel drive unit operating under only partial
load. With its HTS generator, which was developed with funding from the German Research Ministry, Siemens engineers have given AES drives an even greater competitive edge. Their weight and volume has been almost halved compared with conventional generators. The virtually loss-free electrical excitation of the HTS winding results in a significant reduction in losses, and thus in a considerable improvement in the electrical efficiency of more than 2% over comparable conventional machines to 98.7% - and that figure already includes the cryogenic rotor
cooling. The 4MVA machine has since been put into operation successfully. After the operating characteristics of this innovative machine have been ascertained, it will undergo intensive system testing over a long period. One object of the project is to verify suitability for use on ships. With this aim in mind, Germanischer Lloyd in Hamburg has been involved in the project right from the start, including during development, the construction phase and during system testing, and has reviewed the project with respect to the requirements of the classification regulations of international maritime shipping.
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