Airbus pioneers a superconducting powertrain cooled by liquid hydrogen

Re:Airbus pioneers a superconducting powertrain cooled by li... by coolspot on Wednesday April 21, 2021 @01:46PM (#26893003)

I think OP meant that electric motor losing superconductivity in-flight will cause irreversible run-away heating of the motor. Which must be mitigated by having more motors than nominally needed, all with independent power supply and cryogenic contours.

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Re:Airbus pioneers a superconducting powertrain cooled by li... by Valgrim on Wednesday April 21, 2021 @02:35PM (#26893691)

The way I see it, losing superconductivity instantly shuts down the motor by tripping the circuit breaker, and causes it to transfer it's momentum energy into the surrounding liquid hydrogen. Some hydrogen might boil off, but it's nothing a safety valve can't handle.

The plane can then glide to the closest airport or switch to a non-superconducting mode.

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Re:Airbus pioneers a superconducting powertrain cooled by li... by userbinator on Wednesday April 21, 2021 @03:41PM (#26894439)

If anything, losing superconductivity will cause less current to flow, since the resistance will increase greatly, and a massive amount of heat will be created.

[ Parent | on HN ]