CLEAN: Cryogenic Link for Electric Aircraft Propulsion
Pradip Chandra Saha, Yanjun Shi, Michael Steurer, Peter Cheetham, Chul Han Kim, Sastry Pamidi, Jonathan W. Goldman, Brian German, Zhiyang Jin, Lukas Graber, Chanyeop Park
Abstract
We propose a thermally efficient and power-dense high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cable (CLEAN Cable) as well as a thermally efficient, mechanically rugged, and easily attachable/detachable cryogenic-to-ambient power link (CLEAN Connector). The bundled design enables high gravimetric power density and node-less tapping of power. The CLEAN Connector minimizes ambient heat leaking into the cryogenic environment by magnetically coupling the cryogenic section to the ambient counterpart via a high-frequency isolated DC/DC converter. The proposed high-frequency operation reduces the core size of the cryogenic/ambient transformer that provides electrical and thermal isolation while enabling quick connection. The proposed CLEAN technologies provide the following advantages - (1) Reduced heat load; (2) High gravimetric power density; (3) <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">N</i> –1 system redundancy; (4) Minimum ambient heat leak into the cryogenic system; (5) High vibration/mechanical stress tolerance; (6) Partial discharge (PD) free at high-altitudes; (7) Easy cryogenic and ambient system connection; (8) Inherent fault detection and isolation.