Degaussing Coils
Degaussing coils are a vital part of today's military ships. Since ships are mainly constructed of steel, they disturb the earth's natural magnetic field, which can be detected by sensors and weapons such as naval mines. Degaussing coils are used as a countermeasure to the threat of magnetic influenced mines, thereby increasing the ship's survivability. Degaussing coils are composed of a network of electrical cables installed around the circumference of a ship's hull, running from bow to stern on both sides. Electrical current is passed through these cables to counteract the ship's inherent magnetic field. The current is controlled so that the ship is magnetically invisible.
AMSC has designed a more efficient degaussing system that is constructed with high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire as a replacement for copper wire-based degaussing coils. Technical specifications
HTS wire configured into degaussing coils can provide many benefits as a replacement for conventional copper wire-based systems. Copper wire-based systems add a significant amount of weight to a ship. The infrastructure necessary to install the copper-based system is complex and costly. Superconductor degaussing systems replace multiple copper cables with fewer, smaller and lighter weight cables. HTS technology can reduce the weight of the ship's degaussing system by up to 10 times that of a copper cable solution. Because the size and weight of a superconductor degaussing system will both be much lower, the infrastructure needed to house the cable will be lower in cost, weight and complexity.

Superconductor degaussing coils also are more efficient than copper cables -- reducing the power supply requirements because HTS wire has zero resistance -- so there are no energy losses.
Benefits of Superconductor Degaussing Systems
Smaller and lighter weight
Lower cost to install than copper wire-based systems
Accommodate much higher currents and almost zero voltage in a much smaller space than copper wire-based cables
Conduit diameter requirement is smaller than with copper wire-based cables
Off-the-shelf helium-based cooling and cryogenic system is environmentally safe
HTS Wire Products
- » Second Generation (2G) Wire - 344 superconductors
- » First Generation (1G) HTS Wire
- » Insulated HTS Wire
Applications for HTS Wire
Literature
Next Steps…
Events
9-11 February - ISIS-18 Conference on Superconductivity
AMSC Speaker - Jim Maguire
12-15 February - NRECA TechAdvantage 2010
AMSC Exhibiting
Booth # 410
Multi-media
» President Obama discusses American Superconductor job growth during weekly radio address
» CEO Greg Yurek's Interview on FOX Business Network
» CEO Greg Yurek’s Interview on CNBC
» View an animation showing AMSC’s Wind Energy Offerings
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AMSC offers an array of proprietary technologies and solutions spanning the electric power infrastructure – from generation to delivery to end use. The company is a leader in alternative energy, providing proven, megawatt-scale wind turbine designs and electrical control systems.
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