Sumit Nayak is a postgraduate researcher in the Department of Engineering, at King’s College London.

He holds an MSc in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D), India. Before that, he obtained his bachelor’s in physics from the University of Delhi (DU) with distinction. 

During his Master's, he was selected for the Research Program for International Talent —2023 at Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France, and worked on Magnet Designs of Laser Plasma Accelerators as a short-term project. Later, he worked on a year-long collaboration project with the Inter-University Accelerator Centre, Delhi (IUAC), in MRI Superconducting Systems. The Project was awarded the Best Master's Thesis Award at the IIT-Delhi Convocation ceremony in 2024.

Research Interests

• Next-Generation Superconducting Machines : Medical & Industrial Implementation
• Numerical Modelling of Superconducting Applications (ANSYS, COMSOL)
• Designing Superconducting Systems e.g. (SolidWorks)
• Accelerator Physics : Magnet Design & Characterization 

Thesis Title

A superconducting brushless exciter for high-power density electrical machine.

Abstract:

The ability of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials to carry large current densities with little or no resistance makes them attractive for providing large rotor magnetic fields in high-power density superconducting electrical machines. Superconducting electrical machines are more efficient, smaller, and lighter than conventional ones, and there is great interest in exploiting these properties for next-generation electric aircraft and other electric transport applications to meet ambitious net zero emissions targets.

HTS flux pumps offer the possibility of a brushless exciter for a wire-wound superconducting machine to inject current into its rotor coils without the need for slip rings/brushes and thermally inefficient current leads. This would significantly improve the efficiency and reliability of such machines.

Supervisor Team

First Supervisor: Dr Mark Ainslie

Second Supervisor: Dr Tayebeh Mousavi

Research Groups

Superconducting Technology + Cryogenics Research Group