Out With the Old and in With the

New!

By Tim Corrigan

Overview

• Overhead Power lines• Superconductivity & History• Difference between Type 1 & Type 2• Current Projects• Additional Uses

Pros And Cons Of Traditional Overhead Power Lines

ProsAluminum Wires are cheapSystem that Works

ConsWire is not covered by Insulation

Susceptible to the elements

Running out of space to add new lines to meet increasing demand.

10% of energy transmitted is lost due to natural resistance in the wire.

Wire is relatively close to people and homes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperGrid

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_power_transmission

New Energy GenerationWind and Solar Farms are being set up in remote areas and Energy needs to

be transported much further to reach its customers.

Solution Superconductors

What is Superconductivity• Superconductivity is when

elements are cooled to their critical temperature or temperature where the resistance is zero.

• At this temperature DC current can be sent across a wire without energy loss.

• They would be cooled by super cooled gases and or Liquids. (Ex. H2, He, N)

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconductivity

History Of Superconductor• In 1911 superconductivity was first observed in mercury by Dutch physicist Heike

Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University in 1911.

• He cooled mercury it to the temperature of liquid helium, 4 degrees Kelvin, its resistance suddenly disappeared. Later, in 1913, he won a Nobel Prize in physics for his research in this area.

• 1933. German researchers Walter Meissner and Robert Ochsenfeld discovered that a superconducting material will repel a magnetic field

• 1957 American Physicist John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, and John Schrieffer, wrote Theories of Superconductivity which is currently known as BCS Theory and it explains superconductivity for elements and simple alloys. (Doesn't explain type 2 Superconductors)

http://superconductors.org/history.htm

History Of Superconductor Cont.• 1962 when Brian D. Josephson found that electrical current would flow between 2 superconducting

materials - even when they are separated by a non-superconductor or insulator. Known as “Josephson effect” the theory is used for building SQUID’s (Superconducting QUantum Interference Device). Strongest magnetic field detector.

• 1964 Bill Little of Stanford University had suggested the possibility of organic (carbon-based) superconductors. The first of these theoretical superconductors was successfully synthesized in 1980 by Danish researcher Klaus Bechgaard of the University of Copenhagen and 3 French team members. (TMTSF)2PF6 had to be cooled to an incredibly cold 1.2K transition temperature (known as Tc) and subjected to high pressure to superconduct.

• 1986, a breakthrough discovery was made. Alex Müller and Georg Bednorz (above), researchers at the IBM Research Laboratory in Rüschlikon, Switzerland, created a brittle ceramic compound that superconducted at the highest temperature then known: 30 K.

• These discoveries paved the way to increase research in high temperature superconductors and superconductor field in general. There is a lot more history that I did not go through and I recommend to read up on it if you are interested.

http://superconductors.org/history.htm

Type 1• Mainly comprised of metals and metalloids that show some conductivity

at room temperature.

• Require incredible cold to slow down molecular vibrations sufficiently to facilitate unimpeded electron flow (No Resistance) in accordance with what is known as BCS theory.

• Characterized as the "soft" superconductors - were discovered first and require the coldest temperatures to become superconductive. They exhibit a very sharp transition to a superconducting state and perfect diamagnetism.

http://superconductors.org/type1.htm

Type 2• Category of superconductors is comprised mostly of metallic compounds and alloys. With

some exceptions such as the recently-discovered superconducting "perovskites" (metal-oxide ceramics )

• They achieve higher Tc's than Type 1 superconductors by a mechanism that is still not completely understood.

• To date, the highest Tc attained at ambient pressure for a material that will form stoichiometrically (by formula) has been 138 K. And the highest Tc overall is 254K for a material which does not form stoichiometrically.

• Type 2 superconductors - also known as the "hard" superconductors - differ from Type 1 in that their transition from a normal to a superconducting state is gradual across a region of "mixed state" behavior. Since a Type 2 will allow some penetration by an external magnetic field into its surface, this creates some rather novel mesoscopic phenomena like superconducting “stripes” and “flux-lattice vortices.”

http://superconductors.org/Type2.htm

http://superconductors.org/typE1.htm#diaelems

Pros And Cons Of SuperconductorPros

No Energy Loss

• Carries 150 times the power of Copper wire at a similar size (keep up with the increased Energy demands)

• Protected from the Elements (underground)

• Have an Intercontinental Energy system to help offset peak demand. What I mean by this is that if we need a lot of extra energy on the east coast some of the plants from the west coast could send us extra energy to meet our demands. This could eliminate blackouts.

• Quality over quantity. Have better Energy Transportation system that will be able to handle new demand on the system.

• Ability to have Nuclear reactors , solar farms, and wind farms, away from urban areas

• Being commercially explored by Countries such as the US ,Japan, China, and many more.

Cons

• Unknown effects such as strong magnetic fields.

• Expensive

• Hard to Regulate energy

• Huge amounts of energy in the superconductor and an abrasion in the wire could have serious reproductions.

How it worksLiquid Hydrogen is used to cool the metal.The wire is protected by Electrical and Thermal Insulators. This keeps energy out, out and energy in, in. The pipes will be stored below grown to be protected from the elements and to reduce opposition to the new cables.Note – Different projects call for different cooling agents at different temperatures.

http://supergrid.uiuc.edu/sg2/PDF/SG2_FinalReport.pdf

Smart Grid• Increasing reliability, efficiency and safety of the power grid. • Enabling decentralized power generation so homes can be both an energy client and supplier (provide

consumers with interactive tool to manage energy usage). • Flexibility of power consumption at the clients side to allow supplier selection (enables distributed

generation, solar, wind, biomass). • Increase GDP by creating more new, green-collar energy jobs related to renewable energy industry

manufacturing, plug-in electric vehicles, solar panel and wind turbine generation, energy conservation construction.

• Be able to heal itself • Motivate consumers to actively participate in operations of the grid • Resist attack • Provide higher quality power that will save money wasted from outages • Accommodate all generation and storage options • Enable electricity markets to flourish • Enable higher penetration of intermittent power generation sources

SuperGrid

• Transmit Energy using superconductors• Use either H2 g or liquid to cool the superconductor

down and then use the hydrogen as an energy source for car, heating, ext.

• Have some nuclear plants dedicated to making hydrogen instead of electricity.

• Transmit Energy over long distances.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperGrid

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=a-power-grid-for-the-hydr-2006-07

Link To SuperGrid Workshop & Tres Amigas

http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Energy/EnergyFinal/Jones%20paper%20-Section%202.pdf

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MzUzMjYyfENoaWxkSUQ9MzQzNTAyfFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1

Additional Applications

• Maglev Train• Stronger MRI machines• New generators• Superconducting Magnets• SQUID• Energy Storage• Many More

Overview

• Times are changing as well as energy generation techniques and transmission.

• To reduce our carbon footprint and to make way for the future we must adapt and start pushing superconductors.

• Superconductors are ready for commercial application and we should start as soon as possible.

Extra reading• http://www.oe.energy.gov/DocumentsandMedia/albany_hts_power-091

808.pdf• http://www.google.com/search?

hl=en&lr=&num=50&ei=DKvsSun0K47klAful4yABQ&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&ved=0CBEQBSgA&q=superconductor+energy+transmission+filetype%3Apdf&spell=1

• http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/19047

• http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/13/business/AP-US-Renewable-Energy-Hub.html?_r=2

• http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2009/10/12/daily14-American-Superconductor-takes-stake-in-first-power-grid-hub.html