Ten MVA air-gap armature winding: Thermal, structural and dielectric results

Journal Article · Wed Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/60.300137· OSTI ID:7252766

Kirtley, Jr, J L; Smith, Jr, J L; Umans, S D; Hagman, W H ^[1]

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1. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States)

This paper describes the armature winding built as part of MIT's 10 MVA superconducting generator project. The winding has a helical winding form, is an air-gap winding having no iron teeth in the active region, employs a limited voltage gradient insulation scheme and is cooled by an insulating fluid. Structurally, the winding employs bonded joints between the conductors and structural tubes, which are of filament-wound fiber-reinforced plastic. Preliminary tests indicated that thermal performance of this winding was satisfactory. On the other hand, the winding suffered a catastrophic insulation failure after only a short time at high voltage. The resulting fault gave the structural system of the armature winding (and the rest of the machine) a good test. In this paper the authors review the major aspects of the design of the winding, describe the thermal tests and then tell of the insulation failure. They can, at best, speculate about the cause of that failure, but they can, on the basis of this experience, make recommendations for further development of machines of this type.

• OSTI ID: 7252766
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States), Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States) Vol. 9:2; ISSN 0885-8969; ISSN ITCNE4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

665412* -- Superconducting Devices-- (1992-)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ARMATURES
COOLING
DESIGN
ELECTRIC GENERATORS
FAILURES
SUPERCONDUCTING DEVICES
SUPERCONDUCTING GENERATORS
THERMAL ANALYSIS
THERMAL INSULATION