Design concepts for a direct drive wind generator using new superconductors

Abstract

Design concepts for a superconducting wind generator have been developed for offshore wind turbine applications. Electromagnetic, mechanical and thermal modeling and analyses are performed by taking into account the characteristic properties of the superconducting and non-superconducting materials. The investigations use new 4X improved YBCO (Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide) second generation (2G) high temperature superconducting (HTS) wire developed in a research program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.