Principles of application of high temperature superconductors to electromagnetic launch technology

Design of a Linear Bulk Superconductor Magnet Synchronous Motor for Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems

“…These magnets have also been used in different motor applications, and promising results have been obtained [11]- [13]. The possibility of using HTS materials for electromagnetic launch systems was first considered in [14] for space applications. It was concluded that BSC magnets could be employed near 20 K, but operation above 30 K would require more understanding of the physics of the material.…”

Generators compact, lightweight, superconducting power

“…The pulse requirements for EML generated huge ac losses and the cryogenic aluminum work was specifically developed to focus on solving this problem. Also, the large current switching issues have also been a problem area of the past which may be addressed by HTS materials [6]. Technologies such as EML and electromagnetic railguns require pulsed power, but what is often overlooked is the fact that the required average power of these application may extend into the megawatt range and may require a continuous electrical power generation to charge the energy storage system, whether capacitor banks, pulse forming networks, etc.…”