Patent — available for licensing
Helmholtz Electric Machine
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
Electric aircraft require improved energy storage and motor efficiency. High-temperature superconductors (HTS) offer motor efficiencies exceeding 99%, but their thin tape geometry creates a barrier. In conventional motors, magnetic fields often orient perpendicular to the HTS tape's wide surface, causing AC power losses to spike significantly. This prevents practical HTS use in motor armatures. In response, engineers at NASA Glenn Research Center are developing the Helmholtz Electric Machine. This superconducting motor architecture configures magnetic field sources as Helmholtz coils within the armature to create a unidirectional magnetic field aligned in-plane with the HTS tape geometry. This design dramatically reduces AC power losses in the armature, enabling theoretical efficiencies of 99.9% while simplifying thermal management at cryogenic temperatures. The technology allows users to achieve superior motor performance for electric aircraft propulsion, wind turbines, fusion reactors, and industrial high-power applications.