Magnetic Coupling Enhancement for Contactless Power Transfer With Superconductors

As diamagnetic materials, superconductors confine magnetic fields efficiently. Based on this property, we designed and fabricated a novel contactless power transfer (CPT) coupler consisting of a ferrite core wrapped with superconductor layers, which results in an obvious enhancement of the coupling coefficient. We analyzed the underlying causes of coupling enhancement with a magnetic circuit model. Additionally, we used finite-element simulations to investigate the performance of the structure as a function of applied frequency. The results predict that the coupler would be efficient up to 50 kHz. Thus, the modified coupler should be practical for CPT systems.