Experimental determination of dynamic parameters for a superconducting machine

Superconducting electrical machines are increasingly of interest for diverse applications such as generators, synchronous condensers and motors. These machines´ dynamic behavior differs from that of conventional machines in significant ways due to certain time constants and reactances being very different. These differences can present difficulties when conventional testing procedures are applied. A 5 MW superconducting rotor machine designed and built by American Superconductor Corporation is currently being tested in the Advanced Test Facility of the Center for Advanced Power Systems at Florida State University. A variety of test procedures are being applied to determine the machine´s dynamic performance and the effectiveness of these tests when applied to a superconducting machine is being assessed. In this paper, two means of analysing test data and extracting machine parameters are described.