The RoWaMag project started on 01.04.2019, with the goal to develop a robust and low-maintenance magnetic heater with HTS conductors of the second generation. The project aims to prove the technical and economic suitability of the magnetic heater.
The use of superconductors reduces electrical losses in the drive train by 30% compared with conventional methods. Up to 120 kWh can thus be saved per ton of aluminum when heated to 520 °C.
THEVA is supplying the core component in this project – the superconducting magnet. Four coils were wound and cast from approximately 4,000 m of HTS tape.
The coils were then tested in liquid nitrogen (77 K) for their critical current and showed no degradation. In the next step, the coils were built into the casing, which was provided by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Three of the four coils built were used for this purpose, with one serving as a reserve. THEVA also attached the superconducting current leads to the copper contacts.
This coil package was handed over to KIT on November 8, 2021. Now the installation in the cryostat and the commissioning as well as the long-term test will take place at Bültmann. Commissioning is planned for April 2022. The project will be followed by a possible commercialization of the magnetic heater.