A superconducting current pump arranged to cause a DC electrical current to flow through a superconducting circuit accommodated within a cryogenic enclosure of a cryostat comprises a rotor external to the cryogenic enclosure and a stator within the cryogenic enclosure, the rotor and stator separated by a gap through which passes a thermally insulating wall of the cryogenic enclosure, the rotor and the stator comprising at least in part a ferromagnetic material to concentrate magnetic flux in a magnetic circuit across the gap between the rotor and the stator and through the wall, so that movement of the rotor external to the cryogenic enclosure relative to the stator within the cryogenic enclosure induces a DC transport current to flow around the superconducting circuit within the cryogenic enclosure. There is no coupling between a drive motor external to the cryogenic enclosure and an internal rotor which may introduce a path for heat leakage into the cryostat, in turn increasing the heat load and thus increasing the cooling power required to maintain the cold components within the cryogenic enclosure at the low operating temperature required.

A superconducting current pump arranged to cause a DC electrical current to flow through a superconducting circuit accommodated within a cryogenic enclosure of a cryostat comprises a rotor external to the cryogenic enclosure and a stator within the cryogenic enclosure, the rotor and stator separated by a gap through which passes a thermally insulating wall of the cryogenic enclosure, the rotor and the stator comprising at least in part a ferromagnetic material to concentrate magnetic flux in a magnetic circuit across the gap between the rotor and the stator and through the wall, so that movement of the rotor external to the cryogenic enclosure relative to the stator within the cryogenic enclosure induces a DC transport current to flow around the superconducting circuit within the cryogenic enclosure. There is no coupling between a drive motor external to the cryogenic enclosure and an internal rotor which may introduce a path for heat leakage into the cryostat, in turn increasing the heat load and thus increasing the cooling power required to maintain the cold components within the cryogenic enclosure at the low operating temperature required.

An electric machine including a stator having a fully non-magnetic core and stator windings formed of a non-superconducting transposed conductor to reduce eddy current losses. It further includes a rotor having a fully non-magnetic core and superconducting windings or superconducting magnets which produce a magnetic field for interaction with the stator windings. A cryogenic cooling system is arranged to cool the stator windings to reduce conduction losses in the stator windings.

Various implementations of the invention correspond to an improved vortex flux generator. In some implementations of the invention, the improved vortex flux generator includes a magnetic circuit configured to produce a magnetic field; a quench controller configured to provide a variable current; a vortex material configured to form and subsequently dissipate a vortex in response to the variable current, wherein upon formation of the vortex, a magnetic field density surrounding the vortex is urged to decrease, and wherein upon subsequent dissipation of the vortex, the urging to decrease ceases and the magnetic field density increases prior to a reformation of the vortex, and wherein the decrease of the magnetic field density and the increase of the magnetic field density correspond to a modulation of the magnetic field; an inductor disposed in a vicinity of the vortex such that the modulation of the magnetic field induces an electrical current in the inductor; and a dissipation superconductor electrically disposed in parallel with the vortex material and configured to carry, without quenching, an entirety of the variable current during dissipation of the vortex in the vortex material.

Various implementations of the invention correspond to an improved vortex flux generator. In some implementations of the invention, the improved vortex flux generator includes a magnetic circuit configured to produce a magnetic field; a quench controller configured to provide a variable current; a vortex material configured to form and subsequently dissipate a vortex in response to the variable current, wherein upon formation of the vortex, a magnetic field density surrounding the vortex is urged to decrease, and wherein upon subsequent dissipation of the vortex, the urging to decrease ceases and the magnetic field density increases prior to a reformation of the vortex, and wherein the decrease of the magnetic field density and the increase of the magnetic field density correspond to a modulation of the magnetic field; an inductor disposed in a vicinity of the vortex such that the modulation of the magnetic field induces an electrical current in the inductor; and a dissipation superconductor electrically disposed in parallel with the vortex material and configured to carry, without quenching, an entirety of the variable current during dissipation of the vortex in the vortex material.

A multi-source aircraft propulsion arrangement comprises a cryogenic propulsion source and a combustion propulsion source wherein the cryogenic propulsion source and the combustion propulsion source may be selectively and independently operated to generate propulsive force for an aircraft.

Provided is an electrical machine including a rotor and a stator with at least one coil, wherein the coil includes one or more windings of one or more tape-shaped conductors wherein the or each conductor has a longitudinal axis, wherein the coil includes two opposing straight sections and two opposing arc-shaped coil head sections, wherein the coil includes at least two torsion sections, in which the or each winding is twisted around the longitudinal axis of the or each conductor, so that a width direction of the one or each conductors in at least one of the straight sections is parallel or essentially parallel to a direction of a magnetic field generated or generatable by the rotor penetrating the at least one straight section.

Various implementations of the invention correspond to an improved vortex flux generator. In some implementations of the invention, the improved vortex flux generator includes a magnetic circuit configured to produce a magnetic field; a quench controller configured to provide a variable current; a vortex material configured to form and subsequently dissipate a vortex in response to the variable current, wherein upon formation of the vortex, a magnetic field density surrounding the vortex is urged to decrease, and wherein upon subsequent dissipation of the vortex, the urging to decrease ceases and the magnetic field density increases prior to a reformation of the vortex, and wherein the decrease of the magnetic field density and the increase of the magnetic field density correspond to a modulation of the magnetic field; an inductor disposed in a vicinity of the vortex such that the modulation of the magnetic field induces an electrical current in the inductor; and a dissipation superconductor electrically disposed in parallel with the vortex material and configured to carry, without quenching, an entirety of the variable current during dissipation of the vortex in the vortex material.

A superconducting generator includes an annular armature connectable to rotate with a rotating component of a wind turbine. A stationary annular field winding is coaxial to the armature and separated by a gap from the armature. The field winding includes superconducting coils, and there is a non-rotating support for the field winding. The non-rotating support is a torque tube. The torque tube is a member formed of a composite material, or a member formed of a plurality of segmented sections, a space frame or strut torque carrying assembly. The torque tube is connected to a thermal shield casing or a field winding housing.

A superconducting generator includes an annular armature connectable to rotate with a rotating component of a wind turbine. A stationary annular field winding is coaxial to the armature and separated by a gap from the armature. The field winding includes superconducting coils, and there is a non-rotating support for the field winding. The non-rotating support is a torque tube. The torque tube is a member formed of a composite material, or a member formed of a plurality of segmented sections, a space frame or strut torque carrying assembly. The torque tube is connected to a thermal shield casing or a field winding housing.