Research on new superconductors for accelerator magnets: Fabrication of MgB₂

by Giovanni Giunchi (EDISON Spa, Milano (I))

Thursday 18 Dec 2003, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Zurich

AT Auditorium (CERN)

The accelerator magnets are one of the most demanding applications of the superconductors and represent an important testing system for every future power application of the superconductors. The reaching of high magnetic fields as well as the realization of high quality of the field are key issues that the new superconducting materials try to address. Among the new superconductors the MgB₂, with its critical temperature of 39 K and its peculiar manufacturing properties, can be considered as one of the most interesting candidates for future applications. In the seminar it will be presented an original fabrication technology for MgB₂ based on the reactive Mg liquid infiltration (RLI) in Boron powders performs, that allows an easy manufacturing both of wires and of bulk bodies. The resulting superconductors have a density near to the theoretical one, with quite a high level of the superconducting performances. A comparison of the superconducting characteristics of MgB₂ conductors obtained with different manufacturing technology will be presented, together with the research lines adopted to further increase the critical magnetic field of this material.