Power Superconductor Applications Corp. was started in 1986 as a spin-off of the Westinghouse Electric Corp., Central Research & Development Center. It provides strategic electromagnetics research & development and advanced power electronics product design services to the US Department of Defense, the US transit and metal-production industries. PSA, which is a focused manufacturing development group, has two primary objectives:

1. To advance basic scientific phenomena in applied cryogenics and superconductivity to electrical machinery and power electronics
2. To apply the resulting knowledge to products for linear electric propulsion, civilian Maglev transport systems and rotating electrical machinery for propulsion.

The primary business of PSA is manufacturing of high-speed linear induction motors and electromagnetic levitation apparatus for guided ground transportation and roller coaster catapult launchers. PSA recently finished a contract with the US Navy to develop a 25,000 HP permanent magnetic propulsion motor diagnostic system for a ship drive, geared to the DDG-51 Destroyer and DDX Surface Combatant. In the power utility area, PSA has a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Los Alamos National Lab to jointly develop yttrium (YBCO) based AC-excited superconducting wire/tape for a commercial development of 15-38 kV liquid-nitrogen cooled fault limiters for utility power stations under US Patent Nos. 5,596,469 and 5,642,249.

Power Superconductor owns and operates a large traction & power research laboratory located in New Castle, PA with 12,000 sq. ft. of high voltage and high current laboratories. This plant has extensive high power apparatus and an indoor high velocity LIM catapult test track.

The science and technology pursued by the corporation covers a broad base from high-voltage silicon thyristors and synchronous condensers to ultra high-speed pulse power rotating generators for the US military EM launcher programs. The charter of PSA is to establish a center of excellence for electrical engineers, metallurgists, and physicists to focus on superconducting power apparatus. Experts in every major field are available to assist the engineers in producing advanced high-speed machinery. The firm's scientists and engineers also provide technical support for the Department of Energy at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory on superconducting coils and superconducting electrical power technologies.

Power Superconductor was recently awarded three contracts from the US Navy (NAVSEA and Naval Surface Warfare Center) titled:

1. Linear Motors for Magnetic Suspension Ordnance Conveyors and Ship Ropeless Elevators
2. Internal Fault Detection/Classification System for Permanent Magnet Propulsion Machines
3. Linear Electric Drive Transport for the All-Electric Ship

The firm has provided the principal electromagnetic engineering to Babcock & Wilcox Corporation (McDermott Corp.) on the Department of Transportation contract for the design of the 300 mph FRA Maglev vehicle using superconducting (SC) vehicle suspension and all magnetic LSM propulsion. Power Superconductor provided the complete design for the SC linear synchronous motor and active electrodynamic guideway for the US government's baseline Maglev vehicle design by Grumman Aerospace Corporation.

In 2002, Power Superconductor supplied an 800 kilowatt, 560 Volt LIM Propulsion System to American Maglev Technology (AMT) for the Nation's First Magnetically Train System in Norfolk, Virginia. This has 120 MPH propulsion capability on a 12.5-Ton levitated vehicle, forming the first segment of a regional Maglev System.

Lockheed Martin Aerospace and Dominion Virginia Power are the other participants in addition to AMT.

For more information contact Dr. Stephen Kuznetsov, President, of Power Superconductor at 724-652-8610 (laboratory) or 412-824-5062 (office).