Superconductors - Environment and applications

The discovery of superconductivity opened up unprecedented prospects in terms of energy (transport, storage, etc.), which quickly came up against the limits of implementation, cost, etc. of both high-temperature and low-temperature superconducting materials. Research and development efforts in these fields have led to concrete applications, notably with low-temperature superconductors known as, low T _c (NbTi, Nb ₃ Sn). Easier and less expensive to implement, high T _c superconductors have a considerable range of possible applications. Current high-T _c conductors are close to competitive conditions (performance and cost). Progress is constant, and there is still considerable room for improvement in terms of both performance and cost.

Considerable progress in the field of cryogenics has made devices using superconductors accessible to all engineers and scientists (whatever their speciality), opening up interesting prospects in terms of potential markets for these devices: the case of medical imaging is a case in point.

Current applications mainly use low-T _c superconductors, and are mainly aimed at generating intense magnetic fields. The future should see the development of devices using high-T _c superconductors, of which cables for power transmission and torque motors for naval propulsion are the most advanced.

This article completes a series devoted to superconductors:

• Superconductors. Theoretical basis ;

• Superconductors. Wire structure and behavior ;

• Superconductors. Environment and applications [D 2 703] ;

• Superconductors. Environment and applications. For further information .