Volume 8, Number 2     March/April 2000

Technology Transfer

Technology Works to Transform Transformers

A technology licensed to Metal Oxide Technologies, Inc. from the Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center (SVEC), a NASA Commercial Space Center, could shrink the size of electrical transformers by half and virtually eliminate the possibility of pollution. High-temperature superconducting (HTS) wires offer many possibilities, and work is now under way on a pilot plant to produce HTS wires for use in power line transformers.

A team at SVEC, in conjunction with the Texas Center for Superconductivity, developed a process for the rapid deposition of a very pure form of HTS material. The material was leveraged from the thin film epitaxial growth science, from technology utilized by SVEC on the ground and using the Wake Shield facility, a free-flying research facility deployed from the Space Shuttle. As one of the NASA Commercial Space Centers, SVEC works to partner with industry and space to bring new products and services to market.

Frederico Pena, the former U.S. Secretary of Energy, stated, "High temperature superconducting materials can be one of the greatest weapons in the fight against climate change, and they can also create a significant new market for U.S. industry." Pena estimated that the worldwide market for HTS power technology would be at least $30 billion a year in the 21st century.

"HTS wire, especially in the thin film form that we have developed, can carry extremely high currents with almost no loss," said Dr. Alex Ignatiev, the director of SVEC. "As a result, the size of a transformer can be reduced by approximately half, and there will be less loss. These transformers will have no need for oil cooling, eliminating environmental concerns with transformer fires, oil spills and PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) contamination from the oil."

"HTS wires are not limited to power transformers," Ignatiev added. They also have applications beyond transformers, including smaller motors and generators, large magnets and power transmission lines. Work is under way to find additional commercial partners interested in pursuing these applications.

For more information, contact Dr. Alex Ignatiev at the Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center. spd@msfc.nasa.gov Please mention you read about it in Innovation.