Abstract
The research and development of superconductivity for electrical power engineering applications started in the 1960s when useable low-temperature superconductors (cooled in liquid helium at 4.2K) such as niobium-titanium were developed. The discovery of high-temperature superconductors (cooled in liquid nitrogen at 77K) in the mid 1980s triggered a renewal of interest in this area. However, the performance of these new materials (YBCO, BSCCO and TBCCO) is not yet at a level to allow their use in electrical power applications. To date, superconductivity applications cover not only conventional areas of electrical power engineering but have also led to new devices based on the special characteristics of a superconductor, such as superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) and superconducting fault current limiters. This paper reviews the principles, benefits, history and future issues of the development of superconductivity applications to electrical power engineering.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 123-132 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Australia |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 1996 |
| Externally published | Yes |