SatCon Technology Corporation (SATC) has been awarded a Phase I SBIR contract with NASA’s John H. Glenn Research Center for development work on a superconducting machine for future hybrid and all-electric aircraft. SatCon’s Applied Technology division is developing a new technology superconducting machine with the goals of improved efficiency, reduced size, and reduced cost over competing superconducting machinery technologies.
SatCon is pursuing a novel design approach that uses modified-Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) cryo-cooler technology and conventional drive technology. The initial design is targeted as a propulsion motor for unmanned all electric aircraft, but the technology is also suitable for hybrid electric aircraft as a main superconducting generator.
This solution can also be considered for future marine applications as generators or propulsion motors. SatCon will collaborate with cryogenics systems experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to de-risk and develop the superconducting propulsion motor.
For Phase II, SatCon will seek to collaborate with an aircraft manufacturer to develop a design prototype targeted for a specific aircraft application.
SatCon’s President and COO, Millard Firebaugh stated, “Hybrid and all-electric aircraft, represent a path towards reduced dependence on foreign oil imports and a sustainable future for the aerospace industry, and SatCon is developing the enabling electric power conversion technology to lead us there.”
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