Ship Propulsion 5 MW HTS Motor

In 2003 the motor final assembly was completed and no-load factory testing was conducted. IEEE 115 open circuit and short circuit tests were performed in the Rugby, England facility to determine motor parameters, which matched calculated parameters quite well. Read the published test report from CAPS. A summary of the key test results is as follows:

No-Load Factory Testing Summary (March 2003)

• The stator design voltage of 4160 Volts was demonstrated by open circuit testing at the rated operating speed of 230 rpm.

• The rated stator operating current of 722 Amps was determined and demonstrated via a short circuit testing. This test demonstrates that the stator cooling complies with design requirements.

• The open circuit (core and eddy current) losses were consistent with the design.

• The total losses for the full load operating conditions were determined from the open circuit and short circuit tests, and the full load efficiency was demonstrated to be greater than the contract goal of 96%.

• The functionality of the brushless exciter, controls and telemetry were demonstrated.

• The cryogenic system and high temperature superconductor coils operated precisely as designed.

• Stray field is below one gauss at one cm away from the frame.

• Electrical parameters met calculated values confirming the design approach.

The motor was integrated with an ALSTOM VDM 5000 commercial drive and a dynamometer for load testing. This test confirmed full torque and full speed under load and was a total success.