Cooling of Superconducting Motors on Aircraft

Abstract

Superconducting electric motors are required in order to deliver lower-carbon aviation. Critical to the success and viability of operating superconducting electric motors in aviation is keeping the superconducting coils at their operating temperature. This paper examines the challenges of keeping a superconducting motor cold if it were used on a single aisle passenger aircraft such as an Airbus A320. The cooling problem is defined and different cooling scenarios are investigated to determine viability. The investigation has shown that for a motor with a superconducting rotor only (copper stator), a Stirling-type cryocooler would be sufficient. However, if the motor is to be fully superconducting, then the cooling loads of the stator, which are much higher, make mechanical refrigeration impractical and the only option is to cool the motor with the heat sink of a liquid hydrogen fuel.

Keywords

• superconducting motor
• cryogenic refrigeration
• electric aircraft