A collaboration between NSWC military scientists with expertise in pulse powered systems and high temperature superconducting materials led to innovative new magnetic flux compression generator design.
Navy officials announced last week that a new development in electromagnetic technology patented in May will have an important effect on military capabilities.
The superconducting stator patent details a discovery that gives a magnetic flux compression generator the ability to produce an electromagnetic pulse (EMP).
The magnetic flux compression generator is designed to create a high voltage pulse output that can be incorporated into an EMP generator.
The idea reportedly originated from a discussion on the utility of high temperature superconducting materials.
“These materials – composed of particular copper oxides called cuprates and typically layered on top of a nickel substrate – have very low resistance at liquid nitrogen temperatures,” Dr. Jack Price, a scientist at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) said.
As a result of these discussions, they were able to design a device that produces a highly localized electromagnetic pulse for a short duration. The pulse is controlled by a superconducting stator that allows the flux compression generator to activate multiple times.
“Most conventional magnetic flux compression generators are explosively driven, dangerous to handle, and limited to one-time use,” Albert Corda, a physicist at NSWC said. “The novel architecture of the generator described in this patent, however, is not explosive in nature. It’s inherently safer to handle and potentially reusable. The architecture provides elements of scalability and control not possible with conventional magnetic flux compression generator designs.”
Given the commercial availability of high temperature superconductor materials that can function at liquid-nitrogen levels, the proposed superconducting stator has the potential to be both affordable and practical.
According to an article on the patent, applications for military and industrial purposes are dependent on the output configuration of the generator, “but can range from the production of broadband radio frequency transmissions to the rapid acceleration of physical mechanisms to high velocities.”
