Turbo-electric propulsion is seen as a potential solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the aircraft industry. However, electrical machines must achieve high power to mass ratios (PtM) to meet aviation requirements. Superconducting technologies are a promising option for creating compact and efficient machines. Indeed, superconductors make it possible to generate large magnetic fields while reducing the need for ferromagnetic materials. In previous works, a 50 kW partially superconducting flux modulation machine has been realised [1]. The flux modulation machine is an unconventional topology where the inductor is composed by a large static superconducting coil and rotating superconducting bulks acting as magnetic field shields. This topology allows controlling the inductor excitation while being brushless. In this paper, we design a 500 kW flux modulation machine considering the results of the 50 kW prototype and the constraints dues to the structure change of scale.

[1] Colle, A., Lubin, T., Ayat, S., Gosselin, O., & Leveque, J. (2020, July). Test of a Flux Modulation Superconducting Machine for Aircraft. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1590, No. 1, p. 012052). IOP Publishing.

Keywords: Superconducting machine, Partially Superconducting, Flux Modulation, Aircraft Application