Performance of MIT 10 MVA superconducting generator rotor

The MIT superconducting generator was run open circuit to a level of 12.9 kV. During this last test run the normally conducting armature winding flashed over short circuiting the machine from 12.2 kV. The superconducting rotor was stopped from 3600 RPM in less than 5 seconds. The superconducting field winding remained fully superconducting and the field current was manually reduced to zero. The complex eddy-current magnetic shield and the yoke structure for coil support proved to be of adequate design to protect the superconducting winding from the severe magnetic and the severe mechanical disturbances associated with the electrical fault in the armature. After the fault, the rotor was warmed to room temperature and run at full speed without any change in the balance. The problems encountered during construction and testing are given briefly, and the general conclusions drawn from the program are stated.<>