Brushless superconducting generator

This report covers work on a flux pump excited brushless superconducting alternator. The flux pump, used to provide the excitation current of the field coils incorporates several features of a machine studied theoretically and reported in an earlier paper. The flux pumping is achieved with six electromagnets having pole pieces of special configurations to yield high efficiency and rapid pumping rates. The maximum design values for the current in the pump is 1,300 amps and for the rational speed, 500 rpm. Sensors installed on the generator yield information on the spatial and temporal behavior of the magnetic field in the flux spot and on the operational characteristics of the pump. The preliminary observations are compared with theoretical predictions.