CORPORATE NEWS:
Key manufacturing development benchmarks for second generation HTS
American Superconductor Corp., USA, has recently reported achieving significant manufacturing development benchmarks for its very high-performance, second generation (2G) high-temperature superconductor (HTS) wire. Presenting data at the US Department of Energy Superconductivity Peer Review Meeting, the company also announced initiation of manufacturing scale-up plans based on these latest results. Laminated with copper, second generation HTS have a “neutral axis” architecture, a particular wire architecture that produces the superior level of strength and durability needed in commercial applications. In addition, the company recently presented high-performance results on greater than 30m lengths (triple the length of its previously reported results) of 2G HTS neutral axis wire with end-to-end electrical current in the range of 160-185Amps for standard one-centimeter wide wires.
“The combination of both very high electrical performance and longer lengths of these wires is compelling”, commented Mr Alex Malozemoff, executive vice-president and chief technical officer at American Superconductor. “With this confirmation of our manufacturing development strategy, we are now well-positioned to successfully execute the next phase of our 2G HTS wire manufacturing plans, which we expect will yield a significant volume of high performance, commercially viable 2G neutral axis wire next year”. Mr David Paratore, company’s president and chief operating officer said American Superconductor Corp. now expects to scale-up its 2G HTS wire manufacturing process in two steps:
- To finalise the conversion of the company’s current 2G development facility into a pre-pilot production line by the spring of 2005 to produce and ship more than 10,000m of 2G wire during the fiscal year ending March 2006;
- To plan to scale-up to full pilot production in order to achieve an annual production capacity of approximately 300,000m of high performance 2G HTS wire by the end of calendar 2007.
American Superconductor has already received orders for more than 550,000m of its present commercial first generation (1G) HTS wire, which will be manufacture and shipped during the current fiscal year ending March 2005. The company now expects achieving the production of 300,000m lengths of 2G HTS wire in the pilot production stage by the end of calendar 2007, which will signal the beginning of the market transition from first to second-generation HTS wire. American Superconductor is a world-leading supplier of dynamic reactive power grid stabilization products and the world's principal vendor of high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire and large rotating superconductor machinery. The company’s power electronic converters and HTS wire are at the core of a broad range of new electricity transmission and distribution, transportation, medical and industrial processing applications, including dynamic reactive power grid stabilization solutions, large ship propulsion motors and generators, smart, controllable, superconductor power cables and advanced defense systems. The company’s products are supported by hundreds of patents and licenses.
Company: |
American Superconductor Corp |
Country: |
USA |
Fax: |
+1 508 836 4248 |
Email: |
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Website: |
www.amsuper.com |