Ten MVA superconducting generator development: Status at the end of 1989

A progress report and some initial results from the experimental program in superconducting generators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are provided The 10 MVA generator developed at MIT was to demonstrate a number of advanced concepts. These included a fully cold rotor, a cryogenic system with built-in reserves for rapid recooling following serious electrical transients, a two-stage damping and shielding system with a damping resistor tailored to good dynamic performance, a field winding structure which allows for full fault torque without straining the field winding conductors, a limited voltage gradient armature winding, and a monolithic armature structural system that provides both rigid support and good electrical isolation. The generator was completed in 1985, and experimentation has been carried out since then. The basic electrical parameters have been verified through low-level steady-state no-load and synchronous impedance tests, and sudden short-circuit and sudden open-circuit transient tests.<>