An Efficient Environment

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September 13, 1999 Huntsville, AL You see them everywhere, on top of power poles and in large fenced lots. They can be unsightly, and -- worse yet -- they can and do create pollution problems where they sit. Imagine, however, if you could shrink the size of electrical transformers by half and virtually eliminate the possibility of pollution.

Technology licensed by Metal Oxide Technologies, Inc. from the Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center (SVEC) , a NASA Commercial Space Center, could help bring this about through the use of High-Temperature Superconducting (HTS) wires. Such wires offer many possibilities, and work is now underway on a pilot plant to produce HTS wires for use in power line transformers.

According to Lou Castellani, the president of Metal Oxide Technologies and a 25-year power industry veteran, "The breakthrough came a few years ago when Dr. Alex Ignatiev and his team developed a process for the rapid deposition of a very pure form of HTS material." This technology was leveraged from the thin film epitaxial growth science and technology done by SVEC on the ground and using the Wake Shield facility, a free-flying research facility deployed from the Shuttle. " I really knew we were on the right track when Federico Pena, the former U.S. Secretary of Energy, stated that 'High temperature superconducting materials can be one of our greatest weapons in the fight against climate change, and they can also create a significant new market for U.S. industry.' What really got my attention" states Castellani, "was when Pena estimated the worldwide market for HTS power technology to be at least $30 billion/year early in the next century... and the next century isn't too far away"

"HTS wire, especially in the thin film form that we have developed, can carry extremely high currents with almost no loss," states Dr. Alex Ignatiev, the Director of the Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center. "As a result, the size of a transformer can be reduced by approximately half, and there will be less loss. Also, these transformers will have no need for oil cooling, eliminating environmental concerns with transformer fires, oil spills, and PCB contamination from the oil."

Castellani states that he "became interested in the opportunity in 1996 based on my knowledge of the extraordinary market potential and the fact that we had SVEC, a NASA commercialization center in Houston. We formed MetOx in 1997 with a vision of our basic coated conductor material being used in numerous applications. It's a simple business strategyä a narrowly focused product in a large and growing market. It took us a while, but we finally executed the License Agreement in October 1998. Since then, Alex has continued to improve the material. Our current prototype material has been tested at more than an order of magnitude increase in performance."

Of course, HTS wires are not limited to power transformers notes Dr. Ignatiev, "They also have applications beyond transformers including motors/generators (much smaller size), large magnets and power transmission lines." Work is underway to find commercial partners interested in pursuing these applications.

For more information on the Space Product Development Program, contact spd@msfc.nasa.gov.

For more detailed information on SVEC or the HTS wires, please contact Dr. Alex Ignatiev at 713-743-3621.