ATZ Receives Research Grant from German Government for Advanced Copper-HTS Conductors

Adelwitz Technologiezentrum GmbH (ATZ) announced that the German Federal Ministry of Commerce and Technology (BMWi) has approved a grant for a joint € 1.8 million research project with Bruker HTS, formerly EHTS, Alzenau, Germany.

The three-year project (2008-2011) for the development of advanced commercial superconductors is based on second generation YBCO wire technologies. ATZ expects to be reimbursed about € 0.5 million under the grant for it’s approximately € 0.9 million share of the overall project budget.

The project focuses the technical know how and performances in copper deposition technology on HTS together with high- rate PLD coated conductor fabrication.
The funding to ATZ and Bruker HTS has been granted within the framework of the German government’s technology initiative to meet the national and European goals for significant reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions by the year 2020. High temperature superconductors (HTS) transport electricity virtually without losses, thus reducing energy consumption across many technology areas. Large machines and equipment used for propulsion, power generation, transmission and power grid protection are ideal applications for HTS conductors, allowing these devices to be smaller and more energy efficient.
The project relies upon the development of advanced copper-HTS hybrid superconductors that can operate reliably under a wide range of demanding conditions.  The hybrid conductor provides unprecedented protection against mechanical stresses and electrical fault conditions. The cooperation between ATZ and Bruker HTS, which has been ongoing since 2005, has achieved several milestones in the development of advanced 2G conductors with copper shunt, including conductors that carry current upwards of 500 Amperes per cm width.