Superconducting field coil for high-voltage homopolar generator

A homopolar generator with 500 volts output is being designed and built as a pulsed power source. A key component used in achieving this high output voltage is the 5 tesla field coil. A superconducting coil is required for a compact configuration that operates above the saturation of iron. The coil case is 158 cm long and has an outside diameter of 137 cm with a 79 cm warm bore for installation of the generator rotor assembly. This large, intrinsically stable coil was designed to achieve a uniform magnetic field in the area of the rotor brushes. The coil was wound with 87.5 km of copper-stabilized niobium/titanium superconductor in an epoxy matrix. Fabrication of the coil and its containment cryostat is complete, and it is being used in the high-voltage homopolar generator test program.