AMSC and Northrop Grumman Announce Successful Load Testing of 36.5 MW Superconductor Ship Propulsion Motor

13 January 2009

American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) and Northrop Grumman Corporation have successfully completed full-power testing of the world’s first 36.5 MW (49,000 horsepower) high temperature superconductor (HTS) ship propulsion motor at the US Navy’s Integrated Power System Land-Based Test Site in Philadelphia. This is the first successful full-power test of an electric propulsion motor sized for a large Navy combatant and, at 36.5 MW, doubled the Navy’s power rating test record.

Incorporating coils of HTS wire that are able to carry 150 times the power of similar-sized copper wire, the motor is less than half the size of conventional motors used on the first two DDG-1000 hulls and will reduce ship weight by nearly 200 metric tons. It will help make new ships more fuel-efficient and free up space for additional warfighting capability.

This system was designed and built under a contract from the Office of Naval Research to demonstrate the efficacy of HTS motors as the primary propulsion technology for future Navy all-electric ships and submarines. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) funded and led the successful testing of the motor.

AMSC and Northrop Grumman shared the work under a formal business agreement, with AMSC serving as the prime contractor for the research and development phase.

Earlier in 2008, the Navy successfully installed another HTS system&madsh;an HTS degaussing coil—onboard the USS HIGGINS (DDG 76). Powered by AMSC’s HTS wire and magnet cable technology, the coil system will undergo sea trials over the next two years onboard the HIGGINS. Similar to the motor, degaussing coils utilizing HTS wire will significantly reduce system weight for DDG 1000-class ships, landing platform dock (LPD) ships, and for the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).

The Navy has invested more than $100 million in the development of HTS technology, paving the way not only for use in Navy ships but also in commercial vessels, such as cruise liners and liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers, which can also take advantage of the space and efficiency benefits of HTS motors.

HTS rotating machine technology is also being applied to the renewable energy industry. Wind generator systems utilizing HTS wire instead of copper wire are expected to be much smaller, lighter and more efficient than current systems. This will lower the cost of wind-generated electricity – particularly for offshore wind farms.