Cryogenic Inverter & Superconducting Propulsion Unit Showcased by Applied Superconductivity Lab at ECCE-Europe-2025, and technical visit in Warwick University
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September 15, 2025
Our Applied Superconductivity Laboratory in University of Strathclyde was honored to participate in the Energy Conversion Congress & Expo (ECCE) 2025, held in Birmingham, UK. As Europe’s premier conference in power electronics and energy conversion, ECCE provided an exceptional platform for showcasing cutting-edge research. We were delighted to present our latest achievements in cryogenic inverters and superconducting propulsion units for aviation applications.
Professor Weijia Yuan represented the laboratory and delivered a presentation titled “Development of a 100kW Cryogenic Propulsion Unit”. Under the Zero Emission Sustainable Transportation (ZEST) project, he introduced the lab’s cryogenic inverter design for all-electric aircraft and the development of a superconducting motor. Professor Yuan elaborated on the significant progress in the motor’s design, which has been successfully tested at 1500 RPM.
Dr. Yudi Xiao contributed a poster presentation on “Optimal Operating Temperature of Inverters in All-electric Aircraft Using Cryogenic Cooling”. In his presentation, Dr. Xiao explained the advantages of operating inverters at cryogenic temperatures and quantified the resulting energy savings compared to conventional room-temperature systems. He also provided an overview of his cryogenic inverter design for a 100kW all-electric aircraft integrated with fuel cells and liquid hydrogen cooling, developed as part of the ZEST project.
On the final day of the conference, we visited the University of Warwick, where we had the opportunity to tour the winding workshop. Following this, we were honored to receive a guided visit to the power electronics laboratory by Professor Richard McMahon. We are deeply grateful for Professor McMahon’s gracious guidance, which allowed us to appreciate the exceptional organization and advanced equipment of the lab—an experience that left us with profound admiration.
