System Products · Grid, energy and industrial systems

Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage

Protecting Critical Infrastructure from Power Disruptions

See how SMES rides through a voltage sag ↓

Hyper Tech has developed a true fast response (charge and discharge) superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) system that can correct for momentary voltage sags greater than 15% of line voltage. This SMES system, branded as “Superconducting Magnetic Ride-through (SMaRT)” is enabled by low AC loss magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductor wire manufactured by Hyper Tech. The SMES units can operate between 10 - 20 Kelvin, thereby enabling direct conduction cooling of the superconductors with a cryocooler (refrigerator).

The High Cost of Power Instability

There are several studies indicating that power outages create billions of dollars of loss each year to manufacturing and business operations. Today, if a plant experiences momentary voltage sags that adversely disrupts manufacturing operations, one is trading off the cost associated with outages, downtime and scrap verses purchasing and installing one or more uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems.

For manufacturing facilities and other businesses, such as a cloud-based data center, requiring uninterrupted power with higher capacity (voltage and current) than standard UPS systems, larger systems incorporating batteries, capacitors, flywheels and/or SMES systems are available.

Why SMES is the Superior Choice

For larger systems, most affected industries will choose a SMES because of its higher efficiency, smaller footprint and lower life cycle costs compared to the alternate systems, namely flywheels, capacitors or batteries. SMES units are 99% efficient compared to these batteries, capacitors and flywheels that are typically only 92-96% efficient.

At the utility level, SMES systems with low AC loss superconductors will be the only systems that can correct the waveform in the millisecond to one-second time frame while correcting the waveform sequentially when such a waveform disturbance occurs.

How it works

How SMES rides a plant through a voltage sag

A superconducting coil, cooled to 10–20 K, carries a current that circulates with almost no loss, storing energy in its magnetic field. When the grid voltage sags, a power converter draws on that energy in milliseconds and holds the plant’s voltage up until the grid recovers. Then the coil recharges.

Swipe sideways to see the whole diagram.

Superconducting magnetic energy storage riding through a voltage sag The grid feeds a plant. A superconducting coil in a cryostat is connected through a power converter. During a voltage sag, without SMES the plant voltage falls below the level at which sensitive equipment trips; with SMES the coil discharges and the plant voltage is held up, then the coil recharges. ONE-LINE DIAGRAM Grid Normal Plant or data centre Running Powerconverter MgB2 superconducting coil in a cryostat at 10–20 K Cryocooler Discharging STORED ENERGY Fully charged VOLTAGE AT THE PLANT
Normal operationThe grid supplies the plant.
Simplified illustration of the principle, not an engineering drawing or test data. The sag is shown slowed down; real sags last milliseconds to a second.
> 15%Corrects momentary voltage sags greater than 15% of line voltage
ms to 1 sFast charge and discharge to correct the waveform in the millisecond to one-second time frame
10–20 KLow AC loss MgB2 coils, cooled directly by a cryocooler

Efficiency

SMES
99%
Batteries, capacitors, flywheels
92–96%