Progress Toward a Superconducting Opening Switch
Abstract
Recent developments in superconducting materials should be of interest to the pulsed power community. Niobium Nitride films have been made at the Naval Research Laboratory which can carry high currents (~10 MA/cm 2 ) in their superconducting state, yet which have a moderately high resistivity (~100 mu omega-cm) in their normal state. Laser light of moderate energy triggers the transition in nanoseconds. The new high-temperature oxide superconductors show promise of having similar critical current densities but higher normal-state resistivities (~1000 mu omega-cm). These properties raise the possibility of making a superconducting fast opening switch. In conjunction with superconducting inductive energy storage (~100 MJ/m3 ), such a switch could provide the basis for very compact Terawatt pulsed power generators. Here we show some of the possible configurations, physical constraints, and scaling laws for such systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA635539
Entities
People
- D. R. Humphreys
- D. U. Gubser
- S. A. Wolf
- T. L. Francavilla
Organizations
- Sandia National Laboratories