Superconducting magnetic separation technology

The basic characteristic of superconducting magnets is the ability to generate high magnetic fields using compact windings and essentially no power. Their basic advantage is to generate higher fields in configurations that are more open and provide more room for associated piping. The higher fields can be utilized to increase the effectiveness of separation, to separate more weakly paramagnetic or smaller particles, or to operate at high fluid velocity. The general state of the art of superconducting magnets is reviewed briefly, and specific examples of the use of superconducting magnets for magnetic separation is given. These examples will show that for the same performance the velocity can be increased by almost an order of magnitude along with an increase in magnetic field. Superconducting magnets are only now beginning to be used in the field of magnetic separation, and their future use will be considerable.