Structural form of superconducting energy storage magnet

What is superconducting magnetic energy storage?

Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) is the only energy storage technology that stores electric current. This flowing current generates a magnetic field, which is the means of energy storage. The current continues to loop continuously until it is needed and discharged.

What is a large-scale superconductivity magnet?

Keywords: SMES, storage devices, large-scale superconductivity, magnet. Superconducting magnet with shorted input terminals stores energy in the magnetic flux density (B) created by the flow of persistent direct current: the current remains constant due to the absence of resistance in the superconductor.

What is a superconducting magnet?

The heart of a SMES is its superconducting magnet, which must fulfill requirements such as low stray field and mechanical design suitable to contain the large Lorentz forces. The by far most used conductor for magnet windings remains NbTi, because of its lower cost compared to the available first generation of high-Tc conductors.

How does a short-circuited superconducting magnet store energy?

A short-circuited superconducting magnet stores energy in magnetic form, thanks to the flow of a persistent direct current (DC). The current really remains constant due to the zero DC resistance of the superconductor (except in the joints). The current decay time is the ratio of the coil’s inductance to the total resistance in the circuit.

What is a magnetized superconducting coil?

The magnetized superconducting coil is the most essential component of the Superconductive Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) System. Conductors made up of several tiny strands of niobium titanium (NbTi) alloy inserted in a copper substrate are used in winding majority of superconducting coils .

What is a superconducting system (SMES)?

A SMES operating as a FACT was the first superconducting application operating in a grid. In the US, the Bonneville Power Authority used a 30 MJ SMES in the 1980s to damp the low-frequency power oscillations. This SMES operated in real grid conditions during about one year, with over 1200 hours of energy transfers.