Progress toward a superconducting opening switch

Conference · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6180787

Humphreys, D R; Francavilla, T L; Gubser, D U; Wolf, S A

Recent developments in superconducting materials should be of interest to the pulsed power community. Nitride films have been made which can carry high currents (approx.10 MA/cm/sup 2/) in their superconducting state, yet which have a moderately high resistivity (approx.100 ..mu cap omega..-cm) in their normal state. Laser light of moderate energy triggers the transition in nanoseconds. The new high-temperature oxide superconductors show promise of having similar critical current densities but higher normal-state resistivities (approx.1000 ..mu cap omega..-cm). These properties raise the possibility of making a superconducting fast opening switch. In conjunction with superconducting inductive energy storage (approx.100 MJ/m/sup 3/), such a switch could provide the basis for very compact Terawatt pulsed power generators. Here we show some of the possible configurations, physical constraints, and scaling laws for such systems.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA); Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6180787
• Report Number(s): SAND-87-0128C; CONF-870656-44; ON: DE87014170
• Resource Relation: Conference: 6. Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers pulsed power conference, Arlington, VA, USA, 29 Jun 1987
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTING GENERATORS
SWITCHING CIRCUITS
CRITICAL CURRENT
CURRENT DENSITY
NIOBIUM NITRIDES
PULSES
SUPERCONDUCTORS
SWITCHES
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC GENERATORS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
EQUIPMENT
NIOBIUM COMPOUNDS
NITRIDES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PNICTIDES
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
SUPERCONDUCTING DEVICES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
420201* - Engineering- Cryogenic Equipment & Devices