Dear Dr. Peterson,

We thank you and greatly appreciate having a top researcher in a leading superconductor research laboratory take us under your wing.

We have recently started to mesh all of information together and are starting to accelerate our research in this exciting field in high-temperature superconductors. We believe it is very important to have our ideas and goals on the same page. Our current aim is to base our project on the idea that superconductors shall revolutionize the outdated power grid systems of America. Would this idea be very feasible or is there more you want to add to it? Do you believe this is best path to pave through the emerging future of superconductors? We would definitely appreciate your criticism and guidance.

Our research problem and statement has been submitted to ISTF as part of the registration:

"Recently, our nation has been hit with the biggest blackout in US history due to the inefficient standards of our power grid. This failure to modernize our infrastructure has cost our homeland with millions of taxpayers’ dollars for the maintenance of the antiquated system.

To this problem we present a more futuristic, yet feasible, solution through the use of high-temperature superconductors. We envision an economical system into the next generation of power supply while saving its taxpayers’ money. A system founded upon elegant use of superconducting lines and hardware."

Our team has already been enrolled in ISTF and our team code is "03-768." We want to double-check with you if you had created your account on ISTF as the official technical advisor.

We want to knit a tight commitment and we are interested in knowing how often you wished to be updated on our progress. Please feel free to ask us any questions whenever you desire. We are progressing in our true research and we thank you once again for your counseling.

Yours truly,

Kai Y., Phillip F., Gabriel L., Matthew S., and Chadwick T.

OSSM Autry Tech, Enid, Oklahoma

Certainly I agree with your statement that superconductors (HTS) will revolutionize the American power grid as well as provide a new energy resource for other countries. Japan, Korea, and Germany have large HTS development programs that are larger than the United States in the first two cases. Our goal in the United States is to establish government-industry-university partnerships to accelerate the development of new superconductor electric power applications. A few superconductor prototype applications are a generator (General Electric), underground power transmission lines (American Superconductor, Superpower, Southwire, and Sumitomo), transformers (Waukesha Electric), fault current limiters(Superpower), magnetic separators (DuPont), Magnetic Resonance Imager (Oxford), and Motors(Rockwell, American Superconductor). Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) used to store electric energy in large superconducting magnets will also be an important application. The plan is to develop a new superconducting "backbone" across the nation that uses HTS direct current(dc) transmission lines rather than the alternating current(ac) cables used now (since dc requires a single cable and ac transmission requires three cables. (Edison had proposed a grid composed of dc power cables but lost out to Westinghouse/Tesla in designing today's power grid.) The enabling technology is production of superconducting wires with appropriate properties and at a low enough cost for these applications, so we are presently placing considerable effort in fabricating superconducting wires that can be wound into coils and cables. Advantages compared to copper wired systems include not only higher efficiency due to the complete absence of electrical resistance, but also half the size and weight, increased reliability, improved environmental impacts, and the ability to carry 25-100 times the power level in the same underground conduits. I agree with your proposed approach to focus on just electric power applications as applied to the American outdated power grid as that is a problem that is only going to get worse as power demands increase and the grid ages.

Just for your information, there are many other superconductor applications other than just electric power that are also being developed. These include magnetic field sensors called Superconducting QUantum Interference DeviceS (SQUIDS) that can detect brain waves, image the heart, and identify cracks in bridges. Another exciting application is Magnetic Levitated Trains (MAGLEV) that use superconducting magnets to lift the train so it can float over the track and thus have no friction other than air resistance. These MAGLEV trains have been demonstrated by Japan to move at more than 325 mph above ground and are projected to have a speed of more than 1000 mph though evacuated tubes. The US is currently developing a MAGLEV demonstration in Pittsburgh. There are also many defense applications involving superconducting motors driving large ships and submarines.

I have created my ISTF account as your official technical advisor. You can communicate with me as often as you wish. I suggest that especially initially that you keep me closely informed concerning your progress so that we ensure that you are on an appropriate path for success. I may not respond immediately as I am often on travel, however, I shall also send you information that helps you with your research.
You are already impressing me with your dedication and technical insights. I am looking forward to working with you.
Dean

Dear Dr. Peterson,

Thank you for the valuable information. Please feel free to provide even more technical resource as we are progressing to develop our vocabulary and to refine our knowledge in this field. A terrific trait of students who attend OSSM is their flexibility and adaptability; we would like to proceed with the formation of the foundation of the superconducting electric grid as our basis; however, we can switch to another application in this field if it is best. Although this seems unlikely, we just want to inform you that we are very open-minded and we would appreciate constructive criticism.

We are progressing smoothly so far as we are delving into internet sites after internet sites looking and absorbing the history and recent developments of superconductors.

As of now, our research and development is uniform among group members. We will proceed with assigning tasks and specializing each member soon.

We are also interested in the theoretical development of high-temperature superconductors. From what we have read, there isn't a complete theory to explain this instance of the superconducting area. Could you please give us an update in the development of the theoretical side of high-temperature superconductors? Plus, the field of electrical applications relating to superconductors appears relatively developed compared to other fledgling applications. Could you give us a perspective concerning this area and how far away and how much more refinement would the electrical partition require before it could become the multibillion dollar industry it is predicted to be?

Also, we are very curious to know more about you, please feel free to inform us about yourself and your achievements.

Yours truly,

Kai Y., Phillip F., Gabriel L., Matthew S., and Chadwick T.

OSSM Autry Tech, Enid, Oklahoma

We already several applications employing low temperature superconducting niobium and niobium-tin/niobium-titanium alloys operating with liquid helium. These include Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI), scientific accelerator coils and microwave cavities (such at used at Fermi Lab in Chicago), magnetocardiology employing Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices(SQUIDs), high field scientific magnets, magnetic separators, magnetic energy storage, and levitated trains (MAGLEV). All these current LTS applications could ultimately use HTS materials operating with liquid nitrogen or cryorefrigerators. Additional power application prototypes such as transmission cables, generators, transformers, generators, motors, flywheels, and fault current limiters are also being currently developed based on HTS materials which we intend to focus our study. There are three superconductivity centers at Argonne, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos National Labs that collaborate with industry and universities in accelerating development in this area. Other national labs involved include Brookhaven, Sandia, National Renewable Energy Lab, and Lawrence Berkeley Lab. Primary American academic organizations conducting superconductor research include the Universities of Houston, Wisconsin, Stanford, Kansas, Santa Barbara, Berkeley, and SUNY at Albany. Companies working on superconductor technologies include American Superconductor(tapes, motors, cables, SMES), Intermagnetics General-Superpower(tapes, MRIs, cables, current limiters), Oxford Instruments(tapes, MRIs), General Electric(generator), Southwire(cables), Waukesha Electric(transformers), Rockwell(motors), duPont(magnetic separators), and Boeing(flywheels). You could look on their respective websites to further understand development in this area. Many foreign companies in Japan(Sumitomo), Korea, and Germany(Siemens) are also working in this area.

The enabling technology is the development of a commercially viable superconducting wire or tape. Tapes based on niobium alloys or Bi2223 superconductors clad in silver are already commercially available but are either limited in properties for applications and/or expensive. The second generation coated conductors based on Y123 superconducting films deposited on nickel alloys have been demonstrated to have improved properties and lower costs than the earlier superconducting tapes, but are not yet commercially available since they are only being fabricated in 10-50 meter lengths. The goal is to be commercially producing kilometer lengths that could be used in the above applications by 2006, but that timeline depends on government funding and industrial commitment.

I graduated with a doctorate in Physical Chemistry from the University of Kansas in 1973, following which I came to Los Alamos to develop Thermoelectric Generators for deep space research such as used in planet research(Viking, Pioneer). My research included the synthesis, thermodynamic properties, and phase behavior of novel materials which led into studies of high temperature superconductors when they were discovered in 1986. I became manager of the Los Alamos superconductor program in 1993, so I no longer have time to conduct experiments in the Laboratory. We just won a 2003 national award for our superconductor tape development from Research and Development Magazine called the R&D100 Award which identified our HTS tape as one of the top 100 international technologies for 2003. You can access information about this recognition on the R&D100 website.
Just a few more thoughts that may be useful to you. Keep me posted on your progress.
Dean

Dear Dr. Peterson,

Sorry for the delay, we've been swamped with other work but lately we have been pushing for completion of the components. Here's is an update of what we have accomplished and what needs to be accomplished.

Of Component One, we have completed the following, and we have sent you PDF files of them.

Prepare a 200- to 300-word history about the National Critical Technology (NCT) technical application your team has selected to solve a local or national problem. Cite three detailed examples of research done in the past 3 to 5 years which focused on the NCT technical application your team selected. Include:
the funding agency,
the principal investigator's name, and
the institution where the research is or was being conducted.

Component Two

Identify two companies and one product produced by each company that directly relate to the NCT technical application your team has selected.

Our next step is to complete: "Propose and describe a new product or new process based on your team's NCT technical application."

We're looking into developing a new type of wire or transformer, but this is still out in the open. Do you think there are any more promising ideas that we can build on?

We also will start constructing the web site soon; we will like to have you provide feedback every step of the way.


For now,

Kai Y., Phillip F., Chadwick T., Gabriel L., Ashton F., Joshua C., Matthew S., and Lisa U.

OSSM Autry Tech, Enid, Oklahoma

There are three independent prototype demonstrations of superconducting
cables that involve replacement of underground copper transmission
lines
distributing power into inner cities with superconducting cables.
These
demonstration cable projects are located at Long Island (American
Superconductor/Nexans), Schenectady, NY(IGC-Superpower/Sumitomo), and
Columbus, OH (Superpower), respectively. These power cables will be
the
flagship of the Department of Energy program for the next several years
and
represent the best product for the focus of your project. These
superconducting cables use first generation tapes based on a bismuth
copper
oxide (Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10) clad in silver and will carry 3-5 times the
power
of the equivalent copper lines with no resistive losses. These cable
conduits will be retrofited with higher power (25x copper), more
efficient,
and lower cost second generation superconducting wires when they are
commercially available within the next 5 years. I will send you more
information about these projects in the near future.

Concerning superconductor wire development, Los Alamos is focusing on
the
development of a second generation superconducting tape called "coated
conductor" that we have led the world in demonstrating. This tape is
based
on an initial deposition on a nickel alloy tape of a very thin film of
magnesium oxide by a technique called Ion Beam Assisted Deposition
(IBAD).
The grains composing the deposited film are forced to be aligned in the
same direction by bombarding the tape surface with an argon ion beam at
a
critical angle simultaneously with the metal oxide film deposition.
Effectively we are growing a single crystal like film that can serve as
a
seed layer for subsequent deposition of the YBa2Cu23O7 superconducting
film
that carries a 1000 amps at a current density of one million amps per
square centimeter when cooled with liquid nitrogen. We will wind these
tapes into cables and coils for power applications, although right now
the
longest length produced is only about 20 meters.

Our recent development of an alternative magnesium diboride round wire
with
a lower critical temperature was because it was easy to do and we want
to
explore all reasonable alternatives. This diboride wire is very simple
to
fabricate and will have the lowest cost of any wire manufacturing
approach;
therefore it could have some niche applications and offer a bridge to
the
future since it can be manufactured right now in long lengths of 1000
meter
lengths. We were successful in winding this wire and hot pressing it
into a
coil that generated very high magnetic fields, but at relatively low
temperatures of 25 K. We still have the primary goal of developing
wires
and applications that operate at liquid nitrogen temperature(77K).
I hope these thoughts are helpful. Keep me informed what you decide!
Dean

Hey again Doctor Peterson,

Thanks for your reply on the FCLs. The main problem we're having is that we want to develop something in the electrical field, but we do not know what to make that hasn't already been done before. We also don't really know where to begin if we want to improve a product due to the small of knowledge we have of HTS compared to the large amount that's out there. Hopefully you can see our predicament? Our team would like to do something specialized (ie, FCL or Transformer, etc) or if not, try our hand at developing a complete electrical system for a small town. We really would like your imput on this subject ... which way do you think it best for us to go?

Another problem is that we have only 18 days (as of this email) before the finished sites are due. Most of the stuff we have left to do stem from the product we're making. Two things beside the product we still lack are: a professional trade organization of HTS technology and two graduate/undergraduate programs in universities that "lead" to superconductor careers. On the graduate programs, we were hoping you could give us some info on the programs/courses you or your collegues took in college to get where you are today?

Our internet site/template is nearly finished and we're about to get the Autry Tech to host it. Once it's hosted, we'll immediately get you a link/password to it. One last question though for the site: we need your "official" position / title of yours, and if you want, possibly some credentials of yours.

Thank you so very much for you help,
Phillip F., Kai Y., Lisa U., Chadwick T., Matthew S., Gabriel L., Ashton F., Joshua C.