High temperature super-conducting rotor coil support and coil support method

A method for supporting a super-conducting coil winding on a rotor core of a synchronous machine comprising the steps of:

• a. bracing an end section of the coil winding with an end coil support attached to at least one side of the end section in a plane substantially parallel to a rotor core axis, and wherein the end coil support is wider than the at least one side of the end section of the coil winding and abuts an entirety of a width of the side of the end section;
• b. assembling the coil winding, end coil support and rotor core;
• c. attaching a rotor end shaft to said rotor core;
• d. thermally isolating the end coil support from the rotor core and shaft.

A rotor for a synchronous machine comprising:

• a rotor core having at least one rotor core end orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the rotor;
• at least one end shaft attached to said rotor core end;
• a race-track super-conducting (SC) coil winding extending around said rotor core and having a coil end section adjacent said rotor end;
• a coil support brace attached to said coil end section and thermally isolated from said rotor core and rotor end shaft, wherein the coil support brace abuts an entirety of a width of at least one side surface of the coil end section, wherein said at least one side surface is substantially parallel to the axis of the rotor, and said coil support brace is wider than the at least one side surface of the coil end section, and covers the end section.