Electric Power Applications

Electric power equipment Powered by AMSC™ conserves resources -- operating more efficiently, carrying greater amounts of power safely and reliably, and improving the quality of energy delivered to customers.

At the heart of equipment Powered by AMSC is High Temperature Superconductor wire.  This advanced technology also reduces the size and weight of electrical power equipment while reducing its manufacturing and operating costs.

American Superconductor offers an array of solutions that address industry's most challenging issues.  In developing advanced electric power applications, AMSC has employed its research and manufacturing leadership in HTS science to design wires, components and systems for a number of products that include:

HTS Electric Power Transmission Cables deliver more power than conventional cables, helping reduce grid congestion while lowering installation and operating costs – all with low environmental impact. They:

Increase reliability and security of the power grid. Because they can be designed to be smart and controllable, HTS cables can make the power networks in which they are installed self-protecting. Self-protecting secure power networks adjust rapidly and automatically to disruptions in power network equipment caused by weather, willful destruction or other factors.

Deliver significantly lower impedance than conventional cables. HTS cables can be placed strategically in the transmission grid to draw flow from overtaxed conventional cables or overhead lines — and relieve network congestion. Very low impedance cables can help solve grid congestion problems and enable implementation of new grid configurations.

SuperVAR Synchronous Condensers, an economic source of dynamic and steady-state reactive power support, operate more efficiently than conventional machines -- without the typically high maintenance costs. They:

Stabilize grid voltage by generating or absorbing reactive power as needed to increase service reliability and maximize transmission capacity.

Reduce maintenance costs associated with thermal fatigue of conventional synchronous condensers.

Maximize flexibility with modular, transportable design and easy installation.

HTS Fault Current Limiters (FCL) protect expensive equipment from damage due to electrical faults on the transmission grid. They:

Eliminate the system wide need to install higher capacity circuit breakers with a fast-acting, passive solution.  As grids grow, the fault currents increase, necessitating higher capacity circuit breakers.

Reduce damage to electrical equipment due to system faults. HTS fault current limiters will limit the current spike and the mechanical forces caused by this surge.

Reduce annual operating costs of utilities by reducing damage to electrical equipment. Acting like surge protectors, HTS fault current limiters protect downstream electrical equipment from fault currents.

Reduce voltage drop and ac losses.  HTS FCLs can replace widely used line reactors and avoid the voltage drop and ac losses inherent in such line reactors. 

HTS Power Transformers serve as compact, environmentally friendly alternatives that can be designed to outperform conventional systems in efficiency and other key metrics.  They:

Cut losses by 50% compared to conventional power transformers due to the efficiency of HTS wire.

Reduce size and weight by 50% compared to conventional transformers due to the high power density of HTS wire.

Eliminate risk of environmentally hazardous oil leaks and fires due to the use of environmentally friendly liquid nitrogen as the dielectric and cooling fluid.

Reduce voltage drop due to reduced reactive impedance of the compact HTS coils.

Increase overload rating capability by 2X without insulation damage or degradation.