Superconducting magnetic energy storage: Technical considerations and relative capital cost using high-temperature superconductors. Final report

Technical Report · Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:10138280

Loyd, R J; Bulc, A M; Majumdar, D ^[1]

---

1. Bechtel National, Inc., San Francisco, CA (United States)

Superconducting magnetic energy storage plants could significantly benefit form using high-temperature superconductors. Benefits would include greatly lowered operation and maintenance expenses and modestly reduced capital costs. The project team compared present HTSC capabilities to the minimum requirements for SMES superconductors. Next, they projected potential cost reductions, assuming one-for-one replacement of conventional low-temperature superconductors with HTSC at equal installed cost. The estimated captial-cost savings from substituting HTSC for conventional superconductors in large-scale SMES plants ranged from 7% for 5000 MWh to 10% for 20 MWh. In addition, HTSC used in SMES plants would provide six design benefits -- better stability, lower refrigeration needs, lower thermal shielding needs, easier cooldown, no helium use, and possibly no vacuum system. Partially offsetting these is the need for more support structure, caused by the lower strength of materials at 77 K versus 4 K, and loss of the cryopumping ability of 4 K surfaces. To realize these benefits, the HTSC primary SMES coil conductor must be robust enough to be formed into a coal, and it must superconduct in a magnetic field of at least 3 tesla at a current density of at least 12,000 A/cm{sup 2}.

• Research Organization: Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States); Bechtel National, Inc., San Francisco, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 10138280
• Report Number(s): EPRI-TR-100557; ON: UN92011547
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: Apr 1992
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
HIGH-TC SUPERCONDUCTORS
MATERIAL SUBSTITUTION
SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETIC ENERGY STORAGE
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
CAPITALIZED COST
MATERIALS
DESIGN
MAGNET COILS
SPECIFICATIONS
CURRENT DENSITY
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
YTTRIUM OXIDES
BARIUM OXIDES
COPPER OXIDES
STRONTIUM OXIDES
CALCIUM OXIDES
BISMUTH OXIDES
THALLIUM OXIDES
250100
665412
360606
MAGNETIC
SUPERCONDUCTING DEVICES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES