A New Liquid Hydrogen Based Superconducting Coil Test Rig to Measure AC Losses of MgB₂ Stator Coils

This presentation focuses on the design and development of a proposed superconducting coil testbed to measure AC losses at the NASA Glenn Research Center. AC losses are important in the design of electric stators and rotors, transmission lines, transformers, fault current limiters, and magnets. The new rig will allow superconducting coil testing across a wide range of test parameters, including current (0 – 400 A), frequency (0 – 400 Hz), magnetic field (0 – 0.6 T), phase angle between induced voltage and injected current (-180 – 180^o), coolant temperature (18 – 28K), and AC power loss (5 – 30W). While the target application of interest is 20K superconducting MgB₂ stator coils for future electric machines, the rig can accommodate test articles with straight wire, coils of any shape, and any combination of superconducting wire and fluid (e.g. YBCO coils and liquid nitrogen). Recent advancements in MgB₂ wire fabrication and coil fabrication will also be reviewed.