Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080197633 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A SUPERCONDUCTING GENERATOR DRIVEN BY WIND TURBINE - A generator including: an annular armature connectable to rotate with blades of a wind turbine; an annular stationary field winding assembly coaxial with the armature and separated by a gap from an inside surface of the armature, wherein the field winding include superconducting coils, and support structure connectable to an upper region of a tower of the wind turbine. | 08-21-2008 |
20080236869 | Low resistivity joints for joining wires and methods for making the same - Method for joining wires using low resistivity joints is provided. More specifically, methods of joining one or more wires having superconductive filaments, such as magnesium diboride filaments, are provided. The wires are joined by a low resistivity joint to form wires of a desired length for applications, such in medical imaging applications. | 10-02-2008 |
20090186769 | SUPERCONDUCTIVE WIRE, PROCESSES OF MANUFACTURE AND USES THEREOF - An electrical component comprises a superconductive wire, the wire comprising a first wire segment joined to a second wire segment, wherein the first wire segment and the second wire segment differ in at least one property selected from the group consisting of magnetic field tolerance, temperature tolerance, ac loss, and strain tolerance, and wherein the magnetic field tolerance is measured by the relationship of critical current Ic to magnetic field H at a given temperature T below critical temperature Tc, the temperature tolerance is measured by the relationship of critical current Ic to temperature T at a given magnetic field below critical magnetic field Hc, the ac loss is measured by the amount of ac loss versus the frequency and magnitude of applied ac currents and fields, and the strain tolerance is measured by critical current Ic degradation with strain. | 07-23-2009 |
20090230690 | SYSTEMS INVOLVING SUPERCONDUCTING HOMOPOLAR ALTERNATORS FOR WIND POWER APPLICATIONS - A system for generating power includes a homopolar electrical generator having, a superconducting field coil operative to create a magnetic field, and a homopolar rotor assembly operative to rotate in the magnetic field such that a rotating magnetic field couples with a stationary winding by an interaction of a rotating permeance wave produced by the homopolar rotor assembly and the magnetic field created by the superconducting field coil., and a wind turbine mechanically linked to the homopolar electrical generator operative to rotate the homopolar rotor assembly. | 09-17-2009 |
20090237845 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS INVOLVING PROTECTION OF SUPERCONDUCTING GENERATORS FOR POWER APPLICATIONS - A system for protecting superconducting generator field coils including a controller configured to monitor for a quenching of a superconducting field coil of a generator and control a dissipation of a current flow in the superconducting field coil in an event of the quenching, and an armature coil of the generator configured to cause the dissipation of the current flow in the superconducting field coil responsive to the controller in the event of the quenching of the superconducting field coil. A method for protecting superconducting generator field coils including monitoring for a quenching of a superconducting field coil of a generator, and dissipating a current flow in the superconducting field coil via an armature coil of the generator in response to a detection of the quenching. | 09-24-2009 |
20090284086 | SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS INVOLVING TOOTHED ARMATURES IN SUPERCONDUCTING MACHINES - A system for generating power comprising, a superconducting generator including, an armature assembly comprising, a body portion, a tooth portion having a front surface and a rear surface, a slot partially defined by the body portion and the tooth portion, an armature bar engaging the slot, and a cooling cavity partially defined by the tooth portion, communicative with the front surface and the rear surface. | 11-19-2009 |
20100001596 | System and method for cooling a superconducting rotary machine - A system for cooling a superconducting rotary machine includes a plurality of sealed siphon tubes disposed in balanced locations around a rotor adjacent to a superconducting coil. Each of the sealed siphon tubes includes a tubular body and a heat transfer medium disposed in the tubular body that undergoes a phase change during operation of the machine to extract heat from the superconducting coil. A siphon heat exchanger is thermally coupled to the siphon tubes for extracting heat from the siphon tubes during operation of the machine. | 01-07-2010 |
20100019604 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING HOMOPOLAR INDUCTOR ALTERNATORS INCLUDING SUPERCONDUCTING WINDINGS - A homopolar electrical machine includes a stator having a stationary magnetic core and multiple stator windings disposed within the stationary magnetic core. A rotor includes a first set of pole pieces at a first end of a shaft and a second set of pole pieces at a second end of the shaft. The pole pieces are separated by air gaps. The rotor is a one-piece structure having only the shaft, the first set of pole pieces, and the second set of pole pieces integrally formed from a single material. A stationary field coil is coupled to the stator. The stationary field coil includes a cryostat configured to cool the stationary field coil to superconducting temperatures. The stationary field coil has a coil diameter that is at least partially greater than an outer diameter of the rotor. Each stator winding is unitarily formed as a single structure that extends along a length of the homopolar electrical machine beyond the first and second sets of pole pieces and is disposed within an air gap of the homopolar electrical machine. | 01-28-2010 |
20100089073 | High temperature superconducting magnet - A high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet coil disposed within a cryostat is configured with a thermo-siphon cooling system containing a liquid cryogen. The cooling system is configured to indirectly conduction cool the HTS magnet coil by nucleate boiling of the liquid cryogen that is circulated by the thermo-siphon in a cooling tube attached to a heat exchanger bonded to the outside surface of the HTS magnet coil. A supply dewar is configured with a re-condenser cryocooler coldhead to recondense boiloff vapors generated during the nucleate boiling process. | 04-15-2010 |
20110179809 | COOLING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETS - A method for cooling a superconducting magnet enclosed in a cryostat of a magnetic resonance imaging system comprises introducing a gas into a cooling path in the cryostat from an input portion outside the cryostat. A heat exchanger in the cooling path is cooled by a refrigerator outside the cryostat. The gas at the heat exchanger is cooled as a cold gas or is condensed at the heat exchanger into a liquid cryogen. The cold gas or liquid cryogen from the heat exchanger flows through at least a connection tube to a magnet cooling tube, which is in thermal contact with the superconducting magnet. Heat from the superconducting magnet is removed by warming the cold gas into warm gas or by the boiling the liquid cryogen into boiled-off gas. The warm gas or boiled-off gas is transmitted back to the heat exchanger to re-cool the warm gas or re-condense the boiled-off gas for further cooling the superconducting magnet to a superconducting temperature. The input portion is closed to make the cooling path as a closed-loop for maintaining the superconducting magnet below the superconducting temperature. | 07-28-2011 |
20110193665 | SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETS WITH AN IMPROVED SUPPORT STRUCTURE - A superconducting magnet is described and includes at least one superconducting coil, at least one support member coupled to the superconducting coil and at least one compliant interface between the superconducting coil and the support member. The superconducting coil defines a radial direction. The superconducting coil supports the superconducting coil along an axial direction that is substantially perpendicular to the radial direction. The compliant interface is configured to move along the radial direction when the superconducting magnet is energized. | 08-11-2011 |
20110266807 | SEGMENTED STATOR ASSEMBLY - An electric machine and stator assembly includes a segmented stator having stator portions. Each stator portion includes stator laminations, end plates arranged axially on opposing sides of the stator portion, and structural plates arranged interior to the end plates. Each of the support plates has a portion with notch-like structures that is embedded within the stator laminations. Stabilizing couple the end plates and the structural plates together. Connectors are provided to connect the stator portions together. | 11-03-2011 |
20120007703 | CURRENT LEAD ASSEMBLY FOR SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNET - A current lead assembly includes a current lead having an end, at least one heat station thermally coupled to the end, a cryogen-flow path extending through the heat station and comprising at least one connection, and a cryogen generation source fluidly coupled to the cryogen-flow path through the connection. | 01-12-2012 |
20120068795 | MAGNET ASSEMBLIES AND METHODS FOR MAKING THE SAME - A superconducting magnet assembly is provided. The superconducting magnet assembly includes a superconducting magnet configured to generate a static magnetic field, an iron shield configured to shield the superconducting magnet, and a magnetic gradient coil assembly configured to generate a gradient magnetic field. The superconducting magnet assembly further includes one or more magnetic lamination elements disposed on the iron shield to reduce eddy current induced by the gradient magnetic field in the iron shield. A method is also presented. | 03-22-2012 |
20120081117 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SELF-SEALING A COLDHEAD SLEEVE OF A MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SYSTEM - Systems and methods for self-sealing a coldhead sleeve of a magnetic resonance imaging system are provided. One coldhead sleeve arrangement includes a coldhead sleeve configured to receive therein a coldhead of an MRI system and having an open end. The coldhead sleeve arrangement also includes a sealing member coupled at the open end of the coldhead sleeve and configured in a normally closed position covering the open end. | 04-05-2012 |
20120135868 | SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNET ASSEMBLY AND FABRICATING METHOD - A superconducting magnet assembly includes a bobbin comprising a central bore along a longitudinal direction, and a superconducting coil package wound on the bobbin. The superconducting coil package includes a plurality of superconducting coil layers wound on the bobbin, a plurality of supporting member layers, each of the supporting member layers being between a corresponding two adjacent superconducting coil layers, and a thermal conduction layer between two superconducting coil layers or between a superconducting coil layer and an adjacent supporting member layer. | 05-31-2012 |
20120165200 | METHODS FOR MAKING LOW RESISTIVITY JOINTS - Method for joining wires using low resistivity joints is provided. More specifically, methods of joining one or more wires having superconductive filaments, such as magnesium diboride filaments, are provided. The wires are joined by a low resistivity joint to form wires of a desired length for applications, such in medical imaging applications. | 06-28-2012 |
20120196753 | COOLING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COOLING SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNET DEVICES - A cooling system and method for cooling superconducting magnet coils are provided. One magnet system for a superconducting magnet device includes a cooling system having at least one coil support shell, a plurality of superconducting magnet coils supported by the at least one coil support shell and a plurality of cooling tubes thermally coupled to the at least one coil support shell. The magnet system also includes a cryorefrigerator system fluidly coupled with the plurality of cooling tubes forming a closed circulation cooling system. | 08-02-2012 |
20130029849 | SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNET SYSTEM - A superconducting magnet system includes a coil support structure, superconducting coils, and electrically and thermally conductive windings. The superconducting coils and the conductive windings are supported by the coil support structure. Each conductive winding is electromagnetically coupled with a corresponding superconducting coil. Each conductive winding is electrically shorted. | 01-31-2013 |
20130305744 | CNG DELIVERY SYSTEM WITH CRYOCOOLER AND METHOD OF SUPPLYING PURIFIED CNG - A fuel gas delivery system is provided. The fuel gas delivery system includes a feed line configured to provide a natural gas stream and a cryocooler fluidly coupled to the feed line. The cryocooler is configured to condense the natural gas to provide a liquefied natural gas (LNG) stream and to freeze impurities contained in the natural gas stream. The frozen impurities are separated from said LNG stream. A first heat exchanger is fluidly coupled to the cryocooler and the first heat exchanger is configured to vaporize at least a portion of the LNG stream to provide compressed natural gas. A delivery line is configured to supply the compressed natural gas to an end user and a removal line is configured to remove the impurities from the fuel gas delivery system. | 11-21-2013 |
20140028316 | RETRACTABLE CURRENT LEAD - A current lead assembly for minimizing heat load to a conduction cooled superconducting magnet during a ramp operation is provided. The current lead assembly includes a vacuum chamber having a through hole to enable a retractable current lead having a retractable contact to penetrate within the vacuum chamber. A superconducting magnet is arranged inside of the vacuum chamber and includes a magnet lead. A current contact is arranged inside of the vacuum chamber beneath the through-hole and is coupled to the magnet lead via a thermal connector. The current contact is supported by a thermal isolation support structure coupled to an inside wall of the vacuum chamber. An actuator assembly is provided to contact the retractable contact with the current contact, where connection occurs at ambient temperature inside of the thermal isolation support structure. | 01-30-2014 |
20140061202 | WARM BORE CYLINDER ASSEMBLY - A warm bore cylinder assembly having an outer wall, an inner wall, and a plurality of braces is provided. The outer wall is configured to define an inner exterior portion of a cryostat assembly. The outer wall is generally cylindrical, is made of a conductive material, and has an outer wall thickness. The inner wall is disposed radially inwardly of the outer wall. The inner wall is generally cylindrical, is made of a conductive material, and has an inner wall thickness. The braces extend along an axial direction defined by the outer wall and the inner wall. The plurality of braces are interposed between and join the outer wall and inner wall. The plurality of braces define openings disposed between adjacent braces. | 03-06-2014 |
20140100114 | COOLING ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRICAL MACHINES AND METHODS OF ASSEMBLING THE SAME - A cryocooler assembly for cooling a field winding of an electrical machine having an axis of rotation is provided. The assembly includes a cryocooler and a reservoir coupled in flow communication to the cryocooler and configured to contain a cooling agent. A flow assembly is coupled in flow communication to the reservoir. The flow assembly includes a first flow loop coupled in flow communication to the reservoir; a second flow loop coupled in flow communication to the reservoir; and a plurality of flow members coupled in flow communication to the first flow loop and the second flow loop and coupled to the field winding. Each flow member is configured to thermosiphon the cooling agent in a first state from the reservoir and in a second state to the reservoir. | 04-10-2014 |
20140167757 | VACUUM FEED-THROUGH ASSEMBLY - A vacuum feed-through assembly and a method for manufacturing the same including a conductor having a threaded outer diameter end, a plastic seal having a threaded inner diameter matching the threaded outer diameter end of the conductor, and an epoxy to epoxy bond the threaded inner diameter of the plastic seal to the threaded outer diameter end of the conductor. | 06-19-2014 |
20150072864 | SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNET SYSTEM - A superconducting magnet system includes a coil support structure, superconducting coils, and electrically and thermally conductive windings. The superconducting coils and the conductive windings are supported by the coil support structure. Each conductive winding is electromagnetically coupled with a corresponding superconducting coil. Each conductive winding is electrically shorted. | 03-12-2015 |