Mini magnet packs world record punch

Hybrid Superconducting Magnet

The best way to get to the ultimately high fields is a combination of the two, and this is the hybrid, the hybridization of the two technologies. We take the superconducting magnet on the outside, and on the inside, at the very high fields, we put a resistive magnet that consumes power. That way we can get to the highest fields with a minimum use of electric power. This gives us the 45 tesla hybrid, the highest steady magnetic field in the world. We've combined an 11.5 tesla superconducting magnet on the outside, and inside we have a 34 tesla magnet that gives us a total of the 45 tesla.

National High Magnetic Field Laboratory - Hybrid Magnet.

So that is what a hybrid superconducting magnet is: a high strength magnet encased in a superconducting magnet. The superconducting magnet is made of coils of either wires or lengths of tape that when cooled with liquid hydrogen or helium turns superconductive which means it loses resistance to electricity which allows the current to flow through without energy loss. There is usually some kind of thermal insulator to keep the outside superconducting magnet cold while in operation. Liquid hydrogen’s temperature is: –423 °F / -253 °C / 25 K; while liquid helium's is: –452.2 °F / -269 °C / 4 K. The temperature scales are Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin; Kelvin is a system that counts up from absolute zero. The difference between 4 K and 25K is the difference between the terms "superconductor" and “high temperature superconductor"! Still pretty cold!

At the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory they constructed a hybrid superconducting magnet that has held a record since 1999 of 45 Teslas (a Tesla is a unit of magnetic field strength. As a comparison, your refrigerator has a magnetic field of 100 gauss. There are 10,000 gauss in one T). This thing’s about three times the height of the engineer standing in front of it! It has a staircase leading up to a second level! ETA: Wikipedia says it is 33 tons! link

Now to the news…

Made of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape, the miniature magnet is only the second of its kind ever made. Outperforming its MagLab predecessor, it reached a magnetic field of 11.3 teslas (or T, a unit of magnetic field strength) while inside a larger, 31.2-T resistive magnet.

Operating as one 42.5 T hybrid magnet, this test instrument achieved two records at once. First, the 42.5 T field is the highest field in which a superconducting magnet has ever operated. Second, 42.5 T is a new world record for an HTS magnet operating within a background field.

The new record is also within striking distance of the 45-tesla hybrid magnet, which holds the Guinness World Record for any continuous-field magnet, held by the National MagLab since 1999.
…
Engineers are confident this new HTS magnet, made of rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) shaped into an extremely thin (0.042 mm) tape, will help the MagLab surpass the record held by the 45-tesla hybrid, built using an older, far bulkier technology.

Florida State University news, Jan. 25, 2017 - Mini magnet packs world record punch.

So in my searches of the interweb for stories that interest me I search on specific terms. One of those is “REBCO” as this is the material that is being eyed for fusion reactors like MIT’s ARC/SPARC reactors. The magnetic field is generated to keep the hot plasma from touching the fusion reactor wall and losing heat or causing damage to the reactor itself. The stronger the magnetic field the smaller (and thus less expensive) a reactor can be made.

But anyway, magnetic research marches forward. The researchers removed the insulator between layers! The REBCO magnet can be held in the palm of your hand (probably would hold it with both hands as it is the second of its kind!). Back to the “golly, gee!”…

In this latest test, the REBCO superconductor demonstrated an unheard-of current density — the amount of electricity passing through a conductor’s cross-section. The copper wire in your home has a current density of about 4 amps per square millimeter. Other HTS magnets have exhibited current densities of about 200 amps per square millimeter. The new no-insulation magnet reached a current density of 1,100 amps per square millimeter.

That is the pay off for making it this far! That is a crazy current density!! If this “no insulation” technique can transfer over to other areas that would be awesome! I thought this was awesome in a nerdy kind of way and had to share!

Anybody else find this kind of discovery worthy of a “h3ll yeah!” or is it just me that thinks this rocks!??

A really big speaker magnet, cool, that should run a twenty foot cone.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

When was the first?

a reply to: rickymouse

The real cool thing is happening in the other direction: flat speakers made of graphene.

There are even a pair of headphones you can buy made of the stuff. Since grphene is such a good conductor you use less power which means if you use a handheld device your battery lasts longer!

But I "see" what you mean!



a reply to: tikbalang

First what? Hybrid superconductor? Not certain, but that is pretty good record time (18 years).

I could see so many applications for this if it becomes easy to manufacture.
Of the top of my head I'm thinking magnetic levitation and improvement in maglev trains.

a reply to: SolAquarius

On another thread we discussed why nuclear fusion stalled out in the 1980's. The TED talk by the MIT guy about their reactor, ARC/SPARC, said that the superconducting fields could not get any stronger. So they decided to make them bigger... which is why ITER is so huge. They had no choice! This finding would reverse that.

Mag-lev is cool!

Ever hear about superconducting flywheels? They spin while levitated. That would be a cool use! These things weight 4 tones and spin at 6,000 rpms.

Nextbigture.com: Current Flywheels moving to Superconducting flywheels using carbon fiber or carbon nanotubes .

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Oh yeah the use of fusion is another great application.
Like I said there are many potentials for this I think magnetic technology is only going to improve and benefit many fields.

I'm fascinated with programmable magnets and can see many advancements with this technology.

a reply to: SolAquarius

[GE] has successfully completed trials of Hydrogenie, a power generator incorporating groundbreaking technologies that enable highly efficient production of electricity in a small space. Hydrogenie makes use of superconductors instead of copper for the rotor windings on the motor, operating at 43 Kelvin or -230°C. It was tested late last year up to and well beyond its full rated load 1.7 MW spinning at 214 rpm and met expectations and design predictions.

GEPowerconversion.com, April 4, 2013 - GE Successfully Trials Breakthrough High Temperature Superconducting Technology for Next Generation Power Generation.

That was in 2013! Never thought of putting the superconductor in the generator but it makes sense. Swap out the copper with the high temperature superconductor. Improve efficiency and reduce size that is a smart move. Maybe do something really crazy like use supercritical CO2 and high temp superconductor with some kind of metal shaft that also generates some electricity from the heat gradient between the two!

I have not really heard of "correlated magnets" before! Something else to keep an eye on. Thanks!

Those interested, Wikipedia: Programmable magnet.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

I thought about putting super conductors in electric motors and I guess generators using liquid nitrogen or some other coolant to increase efficiency.
But cooled superconductors may be obsolete if some one comes up with a room temperature super conductor.

a reply to: SolAquarius

The dream of every nerd everywhere!

The announcement of metallic hydrogen had been, twice now, but no word on if it is metastable at room temps and atmosphere. The equations say that it probably is and if it is then it will be a prime candidate for being the first room temperature superconductor.

(That we know of... ya' know, being ATS and all)

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Yeah I read some posts about metallic hydrogen maybe you posted it I can't remember. I hope it is legit and doesn't disappear like other breakthroughs seem too. I'm interested if it is flexible and can be made into wires. That would be a real game changer for so many technologys .

.

Are they strong enough to rip the iron out of your hemoglobin yet?

originally posted by: rickymouse
A really big speaker magnet, cool, that should run a twenty foot cone.

We used to have a g-force test rig that was essentially a huge 10 foot woofer. You could hook up a stereo to it and do some awesome bass during lunch hours.

a reply to: ntech

There is a pulsed 100 T magnet but the entire force is directed towards the center not outwards (to rip your hemoglobin out!). Still, the thing sits in a room that is evacuated when they pulse it.

Youtube - Los Alamos National Laboratory 100 T Magnet

a reply to: Bedlam

And if you hook it up to the liquid helium cooled Tr-3b bass enhancer through the Zaphod 58-band graphic eq. then you'd really be cooking!!