Structural picture of superconducting energy storage system

Is super-conducting magnetic energy storage sustainable?

Super-conducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) system is widely used in power generation systems as a kind of energy storage technology with high power density, no pollution, and quick response. In this paper, we investigate the sustainability, quantitative metrics, feasibility, and application of the SMES system.

What is a superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) system?

SMES schematic. Source: Clive Shaw/University of Sheffield Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) systems use superconducting coils to efficiently store energy in a magnetic field generated by a DC current traveling through the coils.

Why are superconductors important for magnetic energy storage?

The resistivity of copper at room temperature is 1.7 10 −8 Ωm. Thus, the decay time for a copper coil at room temperature of the same dimensions and inductance would be less than 0.1 ms. Superconductors are thus indispensable for magnetic energy storage systems, except for very short storage durations (lower than 1 s).

What materials are used in a superconducting system?

Superconducting materials that are commonly used are niobium-titanium, vanadium and mercury. The energy accumulated in the SMES system is released by connecting its conductive coil to an AC power converter, which is responsible for approximately 23% of heat loss for each direction.

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.

How do superconductors work?

Superconductors are capable of carrying large currents under strong magnetic fields. To keep the system charged, the coil must be sufficiently cooled. Notably, the SMES system's sole conversion operation is from AC to DC; therefore, there are no intrinsic thermodynamic losses involved with the conversion.