Speaker
Description
The U.S. Air Force has wide ranging needs for electrical energy storage systems. Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) devices offer attractive and unique features including no theoretical limit to specific power, high cycling efficiencies and charge/discharge rates, and virtually no degradation with cycling. The mass specific energy density (MSED) of SMES systems however falls short of many needs. In this study we examine the electromagnetic upper limit on SMES energy densities achievable using present day technology and future technology advancements; especially application of RE-Ba-Cu-O tapes. We limit our investigation to the constraint that the current density puts on the solenoid as a function of magnetic field. We find two geometries that possess particularly high MSED: the pancake solenoid and a single wall hoop solenoid. We demonstrate that MSED for both geometries follow a power law with respect to energy where $ε∝E^{1/3}$. These solenoid geometries set the upper possible limit as to what can be achieved in terms of MSED and should inform future design and application goals for aerospace applications.
