American Superconductor selects ALSTOM as its subcontractor on U.S. Navy motor contract

<%=company1%> Corp. (Westborough, MA) has named ALSTOM Power Conversion, Inc. of Philadelphia, an ALSTOM business sector, as a subcontractor for its U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research (ONR) contract for the design and development of high temperature superconducting (HTS) motors for electric ship propulsion. ALSTOM will be responsible for the design of the stator and drive systems as well as for propulsion system integration.

American Superconductor's initial ONR contract, which was completed in September 2000, was for a preliminary design of a 33,500-horsepower, AC synchronous, HTS ship propulsion motor. A recently awarded follow-on contract in which ALSTOM will now participate is to complete the motor design and to start component fabrication and testing. American Superconductor expects to receive additional contracts from the U.S. Navy within the year that will lead eventually to the manufacture and test of HTS motors on Navy ships. Initial sea trials of a sub-scale prototype HTS motor are expected to commence within three years, coincident with the company's planned introduction of industrial HTS motors.

"We believe HTS motors can dramatically enhance the application of electric motors in ship propulsion systems," said Martin Murphy, vice president of ALSTOM Power Conversion's Marine and Offshore business.

American Superconductor engineers have designed and patented ultra-compact HTS motors that will propel ships more efficiently and quietly, and that will create more usable space on board ships.

The company announced recently that it is also collaborating with Litton Ship Systems regarding the application of HTS technologies, including motors, to commercial and naval vessels. "I believe our teaming arrangements with ALSTOM and Litton positions us to more rapidly bring our technologies and products into the ship propulsion market," Yurek added. "Our analysis shows that the addressable market for ship propulsion motors and generators is a very significant - one that is likely to double the addressable market for HTS motors and generators by the end of the decade."

Edited by John McKnight
Assistant Editor, ElectricNet