Superconducting motors and generators for naval applications

The US Navy is planning for a transition to electric warships as future ship combatants. Superconducting motors for propulsion and superconducting generators for power conversion are under active development (motors) or strong consideration (generators). This article describes the fundamentals of motor technology, as it applies to the Navy, how superconductivity leads to advantages in power density and quietness, and how the technology issues faced in the development of full scale naval motors are being addressed. Finally, the status of the naval superconducting propulsion power projects will be presented. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.