international cooperative--collaborative perspectives - superconductive science and technology

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS, VOL. MAG-23, NO. 2, MARCH 1987 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIVE - COLLABORATIVE PERSPECTIVES SUPERCONDUCTIVE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY J. K. Hulm Westinghouse R&D Center 1310 Beulah Road Pittsburgh, PA 15235 C. Laverick 16 Roslyn Court Patchogue, NY 11772 423 Abstract This paper discusses the achievements of Applied Superconductivity over the past 25 years and a brief outline of the present technical and commercial status of the field. Special attention is paid to the role of International collaboration and cooperation in superconducting research. The main topics covered include applications of superconductivity to Energy Technology, Particle Physics, Medical Equipment and Electronics. Natural resource limitations are discussed and some future application areas are suggested. Introduction Applied superconductivity has come of age. While it has not achieved the widespread use in electro- technology that some of us had expected, it has, in fact, established itself firmly as a solid component of this discipline. Its major commercial success'to date has been in our largest industry, that of health care, where it is a significant component of the revolution in treatment and in non-invasive diagnostics. In the energy industry, the feasibility of using superconducting components has been established in MHD, magnetic fusion, power transmission and power system equipment. The failure to adopt superconductors for large scale energy technology use is due to circumstances in the electric power industry and to societal energy policies in which superconductivity as a support technology has played no part. Particle physics has increasingly supported superconducting development over the years. Superconducting magnets have become proven'and essential components of the newest and most advanced accelerators planned, conceived or built; in fact, the next generation machine would be inconceivable and impractical without this technology. They have also been applied in detection such as bubble chambers and spark chambers. Recently the feasibility of using superconducting R. F. cavities in these machines has been established. Industrial and scientilic research uses in high fields, separators, gyrotrons and spectroscopy are, proliferating. Superconducting electronics and its resolution of individual flux quanta has led to instruments of unprecedented sensitivity. Potential for superconductors in land and sea transportation has been demonstrated and they seem to be a natural choice for inclusion in electrotechnical equipment in air and space vehicles. All of this progress has been led by individual scientists and engineers with vision and enthusiasm. They have done this within the framework of University, Government and Industrial Laboratories, International Manuscript received September 30, 1986. Committees and scientific meetings such as this one. Some of the flagor of this interplay and of the role of superconducting electrotechnology in the principal disciplines is portrayed in the following paragraphs, as viewed from oir perspectives in the United States. International Co-operation in Science & Technology In recent years, the rapid advances in telecom- munications and the increase.in speed of travel due to the jet plane have made the modern world effectively smaller and smaller. Along with its impact on all sections of world society, this trend has had a great impact upon science and technology. For example, voluntary collaborations between individual scientists, in different countries are now commonplace. High Energy physicists regularly jet over from country to country to work on experiments at each other's accelerators. Instant world-wide communications through electronic mail between individuals at their desks is becoming normal practice. Almost 'all scientific meetings now have international participation. . . . . The explosion in information technology has produced a great increase in the mobility of scientiqic and.technologica1ideas. In the U.S., for example, it is easy to learn about new technology through conferences such as this one, publication$, seminars and visits to Universities and other Research Laboratories. The freedom of entry to our Society and of movement and communication within it is one'of its major characteristics.' We are very proud of this and wish to preserve it, but there is a prtce to be paid, which includes the high outward mobility of our technology. Ac.tions by individual scientists have stiplated the establishment of intergovernmental cooperative relations in Science and Technology. Indeed, these have become an important instrument of Foreign Policy. Far example, the U.S. has'agreements with over one- hundred nagiops for the exchange of scientiflc and technical knowledge. At "Summit" meetings of world leaders, agreements to cooperate in scientific and cultural affairs have become an important optcome. These agreements stimulate the flow of scientific assistance to the less developed countries and in the case of the advanced countries; they contribute to mutual understanding and world stabtlity. The.costs of many national projects have become so high that ind,ividual countries often prefer to share the expense with others. An example of a large-term expenditure is the CERN Laboratory, while an example of a single project is the International Fusion Superconducting Magnet Test Facility, (IFSMTF), until recently called the LCT. The other broad category of International technological cooperation is that which occurs between International Corporations. This is essentially extra- Governmental, but' is frequently impacted by a bewildering array of specific national laws, of which 0018-9464/87/0300-0423$01.0001987 IEEE

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS, VOL. MAG-23, NO. 2, MARCH 1987

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIVE - COLLABORATIVE PERSPECTIVES SUPERCONDUCTIVE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

J. K. Hulm Westinghouse R&D Center

1310 Beulah Road Pittsburgh, PA 15235

C. Laverick 16 Roslyn Court

Patchogue, NY 11772

423

Abstract

This paper discusses the achievements of Applied Superconductivity over the past 25 years and a brief outline of the present technical and commercial status of the field. Special attention is paid t o the role of International collaboration and cooperation in superconducting research. The main topics covered include applications of superconductivity to Energy Technology, Particle Physics, Medical Equipment and Electronics. Natural resource limitations are discussed and some future application areas are suggested.

Introduction

Applied superconductivity has come of age. While it has not achieved the widespread use in electro- technology that some of us had expected, it has, in fact, established itself firmly as a solid component of this discipline. Its major commercial success'to date has been in our largest industry, that of health care, where it is a significant component of the revolution in treatment and in non-invasive diagnostics.

In the energy industry, the feasibility of using superconducting components has been established in MHD, magnetic fusion, power transmission and power system equipment. The failure to adopt superconductors for large scale energy technology use is due to circumstances in the electric power industry and to societal energy policies in which superconductivity as a support technology has played no part.

Particle physics has increasingly supported superconducting development over the years. Superconducting magnets have become proven'and essential components of the newest and most advanced accelerators planned, conceived or built; in fact, the next generation machine would be inconceivable and impractical without this technology. They have also been applied in detection such as bubble chambers and spark chambers. Recently the feasibility of using superconducting R. F. cavities in these machines has been established.

Industrial and scientilic research uses in high fields, separators, gyrotrons and spectroscopy are, proliferating. Superconducting electronics and its resolution of individual flux quanta has led to instruments of unprecedented sensitivity. Potential for superconductors in land and sea transportation has been demonstrated and they seem to be a natural choice for inclusion in electrotechnical equipment in air and space vehicles.

All of this progress has been led by individual scientists and engineers with vision and enthusiasm. They have done this within the framework of University, Government and Industrial Laboratories, International

Manuscript received September 30, 1986.

Committees and scientific meetings such as this one. Some of the flagor of this interplay and of the role of superconducting electrotechnology in the principal disciplines is portrayed in the following paragraphs, as viewed from oir perspectives in the United States.

International Co-operation in Science & Technology

In recent years, the rapid advances in telecom- munications and the increase.in speed of travel due to the jet plane have made the modern world effectively smaller and smaller. Along with its impact on all sections of world society, this trend has had a great impact upon science and technology. For example, voluntary collaborations between individual scientists, in different countries are now commonplace. High Energy physicists regularly jet over from country to country to work on experiments at each other's accelerators. Instant world-wide communications through electronic mail between individuals at their desks is becoming normal practice. Almost 'all scientific meetings now have international participation.

. . . .

The explosion in information technology has produced a great increase in the mobility of scientiqic and.technologica1 ideas. In the U.S. , for example, it is easy to learn about new technology through conferences such as this one, publication$, seminars and visits to Universities and other Research Laboratories. The freedom of entry to our Society and of movement and communication within it i s one'of its major characteristics.' We are very proud of this and wish to preserve it, but there is a prtce to be paid, which includes the high outward mobility of our technology.

Ac.tions by individual scientists have stiplated the establishment of intergovernmental cooperative relations in Science and Technology. Indeed, these have become an important instrument of Foreign Policy. Far example, the U.S. has'agreements with over one- hundred nagiops for the exchange of scientiflc and technical knowledge. At "Summit" meetings of world leaders, agreements to cooperate in scientific and cultural affairs have become an important optcome. These agreements stimulate the flow of scientific assistance to the less developed countries and in the case of the advanced countries; they contribute to mutual understanding and world stabtlity. The.costs o f many national projects have become so high that ind,ividual countries often prefer to share the expense with others. An example of a large-term expenditure is the CERN Laboratory, while an example of a single project is the International Fusion Superconducting Magnet Test Facility, (IFSMTF), until recently called the LCT.

The other broad category of International technological cooperation is that which occurs between International Corporations. This is essentially extra- Governmental, but' i s frequently impacted by a bewildering array of specific national laws, of which

0018-9464/87/0300-0423$01.0001987 IEEE

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t h e U.S. a n t i - t r u s t l a w s are a good (or bad) example, depending upon one's v i e w p o i n t . T h e s e i n t e r n a t i o n a l bus iness a r rangements represent a very l a rge and complex set wh ich i nc lude j o in t bus iness ven tu res , j o i n t t e c h n o l o g y p r o j e c t s , m u t u a l t e c h n o l o g y l i c e n s i n g packages, exchange of R&D people and so for th . Such agreements are not always public knowledge, and indeed, t h e i r v e r y e x i s t e n c e may r e p r e s e n t p r o p r i e t a r y b u s i n e s s informat ion . An example of a large i n t e r c o r p o r a t e e f f o r t is a jo in t Wes t inghouse -Mi t sub i sh i p ro j ec t i n t he mu l t i -hundred mi l l i on do l l a r r ange t o des ign t he nex t gene ra t ion o f p re s su r i zed water r e a c t o r s . I n t h i s p r o j e c t , t h e use of s a t e l l i t e communications allows f r e q u e n t i n t e r a c t i o n b e t w e e n d e s i g n e n g i n e e r s i n J a p a n and the U.S. The PRO h e r e is c o s t r e d u c t i o n f o r i nd iv idua l compan ies i n a less than economical ly v i b r a n t i n d u s t r y . The CON is t h e n e c e s s i t y of s h a r i n g p r o p r i e t a r y i n f o r m a t i o n w i t h a n o t h e r c o r p o r a t i o n .

One a s p e c t o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l b u s i n e s s p r a c t i c e merits a t t en t ion because o f its i m p l i c a t i o n i f c a r r i e d o u t as a na t iona l endeavor . Th i s is t h e classic business maneuver i n which a p a r t i c u l a r m a r k e t is captured by lowering pr ices below those of compet i t ion , pe rhaps even be low cos t , w i th t he i n t en t o f d r iv ing ou t c o a p e t i t o r s . It can be done fo r e i t he r low o r h i g h technology products , but high tech items are u s u a l l y more a t t r a c t i v e b e c a u s e t h e y r e p r e s e n t a growth market. On a n a t i o n a l , r a t h e r t h a n company scale, i t can d e s t r o y w h o l e i n d u s t r i e s i n a target country. I n f a c t there have been some r e c e n t s i g n s o f t h i s i n sales of superconduct ing wire.

Energy Rela ted Appl ica t ions

1960 was the yea r o f t he d i scove ry t ha t i t was p o s s i b l e t o a t t a i n h i g h c . u r r e n t d e n s i t i e s i n c e r t a i n Type I1 s u p e r c o n d u c t o r s a t h i g h m a g n e t i c f i e l d s . A t t h a t time many p e o p l e t h o u g h t t h a t t h e f i r s t i m p o r t a n t i n d u s t r i a l a p p l i c a t i o n s would be i n t h e E l e c t r i c Energy I n d u s t r y . T h i s b e l i e f was f u r t h e r i n t e n s i f i e d a t t h e end of t h e n i n e t e e n sixties, when t h e b a s i c p r i n c i p l e s of superconduct ing magnet s t a b i l i z a t i o n had been worked ou t t hus pe rmi t t i ng t he cons t ruc t ion o f large engi- neered magnets, and when, simultaneously, we e n t e r e d t h e f i r s t p h a s e of the so-called "Energy Crisis."

The rise i n world o i l a n d c o a l p r i c e s a f t e r 1970 l e d t o a big expansion of Energy R&D i n t h e U n i t e d States . Superconduct ing magnets were deve loped fo r magnet ic conta inment fus ion reac tors , MHD systems, and power gene ra to r s , wh i l e p ro to type supe rconduc t ing t r a n s m i s s i o n l i n e s were a l s o i n v e s t i g a t e d . These were a l l q u i t e l o n g r a n g e p r o j e c t s r e q u i r i n g d e c a d e s f o r successful development and commercial izat ion. U n f o r t u n a t e l y t h e f u n d i n g c y c l e l a s t e d o n l y a s l o n g as t h e p o l i t i c a l i n t e i - e s t i n W a s h i n g t o n , e s s e n t i a l l y a few years . By t h e e a r l y 1980's; f u n d i n g f o r most s u p e r c o n d u c t i v e e n e r g y p r o j e c t s i n t h e U.S. had e i t h e r dec l ined o r been cance l l ed .

The p r i n c i p a l U.S. s u p e r c o n d u c t i n g p r o j e c t s i n magnet Pus ion have r ecen t ly l ed t o a p a i r of r e a l l y remarkable engineer ing achievements; these are t h e XFTF €3 YIN-YANG c o i l s a n d t h e LCT toro ida l magnets . Both of these are be ing r epor t ed on e x t e n s i v e l y a t t h i s conference . The s u c c e s s f u l LCT p r o j e c t r e p r e s e n t s an a t t r a c t i v e model €or future Intergovernmental Technology Development. There are s i x i n d i v i d u a l D s h a p e d c o i l s i n a to ro ida l a r r ay des igned t o p roduce 8 Tes la when a l l are ope ra t ing . The i n t e r n a l b o r e dimensions are approximately 3 by 5 meters. Three of t hese were c o n s t r u c t e d i n t h e U.S., two i n Europe and one i n J apan . Each co i l was funded by the Government of the country where i t was b u i l t , and was designed and cons t ruc t ed by i n d u s t r i a l c o r p o r a t i o n s i n t h a t same

count ry , so they are t r u l y n a t i o n a l c o i l s . They were s h i p p e d t o t h e test f a c i l i t y i n Oak Ridge Nat ional Laboratory where a l l concerned are p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n extended tests at helium temperatures. These tests i n v o l v e e n e r g i z i n g e a c h c o i l s e p a r a t e l y t o d e t e r m i n e its c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s and then the whole system of six c o i l s t o g e t h e r .

Fusion technology is s t i l l a long way from power s t a t ion dep loymen t ; i t w i l l probably be well i n t b t h e t w e n t y - f i r s t c e n t u r y b e f o r e t h i s g o a l is r e a l i z e d , i f at a l l . Meanwhi le , the next major p roposed s tep is a device ca l led the Energy Tes t Reac tor , which is e s t i m a t e d t o c o s t a r o u n d 4 B i l l i o n d o l l a r s . T h i s was mentioned a t the Reagan-Gorbachev summit as a p o s s i b l e U.S. Sov ie t co l l abora t ion p ro j ec t . The re have been separa te d i scuss ions wi th Europe and Japan on a c o l l a b o r a t i v e e f f o r t , and i f all would p a r t i c i p a t e , t h i s would be a t r u l y u n i q u e p r o j e c t .

Large e lectr ic power s t a t i o n g e n e r a t o r s u t i l i z i n g superconduct ing ro tor windings are more e f f i c i e n t and compac t t han t he i r conven t iona l coun te rpa r t s . I n t he U.S. a j o i n t EPRI-West inghouse project to construct a 300 MVA machine f o r TVA was abandoned th ree years ago. However, i n Europe such developments continue, p a r t i c u l a r l y a t Siemens and i n t h e S o v i e t Union. Revival of a major U.S. f u n d e d p r o j e c t i n t h i s area i s un l ike ly i n t he nea r fu tu re because o f t he ve ry s eve re , prolonged economic depression in the U.S. power equipment market.

Physics Machines

The u s e o f p a r t i c l e a c c e l e r a t o r s is expanding very r a p i d l y a t t h e p r e s e n t time, not on ly f o r b a s i c c o l l i s i o n p h y s i c s , b u t i n a d i v e r s e set of a p p l i c a t i o n s . A t t h e same time t h e r e is a g e n e r a l t rend towards energy sav ing and the des i re to p roduce machines which are more compact. Both of these f e a t u r e s a r e easier to ach ieve w i th supe rconduc to r s , u s i n g e i t h e r h i g h f i e l d m a g n e t s , s u p e r c o n d u c t i n g R.F. c a v i t i e s , o r b o t h .

Probably the mos t publ ic ized superconduct ing a c c e l e r a t o r d e v e l o p m e n t s i n t h e U.S.A. a r e t h o s e r e l a t e d t o High Energy Physics Research. The d e s i r e t o produce proton beams i n t h e e n e r g y r e g i o n a t o r above one tera e l e c t r o n v o l t l e d t o t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of t h e w o r l d ' s f i r s t s y n c h r o t r o n w i t h a s u p e r c o n a u c t i n g f i n a l s t a g e of main r ing bending and focussing magnets , the Tevat ron a t the Fermi Nat iona l Acce lera tor Lab. The Tevat ron has a l so been opera ted as a c o l l i d i n g beam machine wi th p ro tons and an t i -pro tons acce le ra ted in o p p o s i t e d i r e c t i o n s i n t h e same magnet r ing . In n u c l e a r p h y s i c s , t h e u n f i n i s h e d c o l l i d i n g beam a c c e l e r a t o t (CBA) i n Brookhaven Laboratory has been r edes igned t o accelerate and c o l l i d e h e a v y i o n s t o produce a quark-gluon plasma, a state of matter; thought t o exist d u r i n g t h e f i r s t few i n s t a n t s o f t h e b i r t h o f ou r un ive r se . This machine is known as t h e R e l a t i v i s t i c Heavy Ion C o l l i d e r (RHIC). Major por t ions of the modification have been funded. The f i n a l s t a g e w i l l c o n s i s t of two r i n g s of superconducting magnets i n t h e CBA tunnel . The success o f t he Teva t ron has l ed t o the concept of a much bigger and more powei-ful c o l l i d i n g beam machine, the Superconducting Super C o l l i d e r (SSC), t o a c h i e v e 20 on 20 TEV c o l l i s i o n s w i t h p ro ton beams. This is p resen t ly be ing des igned , bu t t h e f u n d s f o r c o n s t r u c t i o n are n o t y e t a v a i l a b l e . The c u r r e n t d e s i g n u t i l i z e s two main r i n g s of magnets wound with copper-coated mult i f i lamentary niobium-t i tanium o p e r a t i n g a t a c e n t r a l f i e l d of 6.6T. I n t o t a l 7680, 17 m long d ipoles and 1776 q u a d r u p d l e s a r e r e q u i r e d f o r two 50 mile c i rcumference r ings . I n s p i t e o f i t s s i z e , t h e SSC i s , i n f a c t , a compact, energy saving machine

425

i f compared t o what would be necessary to accomplish t h i s t a s k w i t h a machine using convent ional copper windings.

The present es t imated cos t o f the SSC is around 4 B i l l i o n d o l l a r s , w i t h a b o u t o n e q u a r t e r o f t h i s d e v o t e d to the Superconduct ing magnets . The e u r r e n t DOE budget f o r High Energy Physics is approximately 500 m i l l i o n d o l l a r s p e r y e a r . An a d d i t i o n a l a v e r a g e $700M/yr. would be needed t o meet the needs of SSC c o n s t r u c t i o n o v e r s e v e r a l y e a r s i f p r o g r a m s at the o ther h igh energy l a b o r a t o r i e s are to con t inue a t t h e p r o j e c t e d l e v e l . Cons ide rab le s en t imen t i n Government circles seems t o f a v o r t h e i d e a o f making t h e SSC Labota tory an I n t e r n a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t i o n ( p e r h a p s a l o n g t h e l i n e s o f CERN). Hence, members of DOE and t h e HEP community have approached their European and Japanese c o u n t e r p a r t s , t o r e q u e s t thedl t o c o n s i d e r c o l l a b o r a t i n g i n t h e SSC. A t t h i s moment the outcome is u n c e r t a i n , bu t it a p p e a r s u n l i k e l y t h a t t h e SSC will be b u i l t w i t h o u t m a j o r I n t e r n a t i o n a l p a r t i c i p a t i o n .

The SSC p r o j e c t h a s many q u a l i t i e s t o r e c b m e n d i t as an example o f peacefu l in te rna t iona l coopera t ion in high technology and basic science. First, i t w i l l advance out knowledge in one of t h e most important las t f r o n t i e r s o f s c i e n c e , t h e s t r u c t u r e of matter. Second, i t is an eng inee r ing cha l l enge o f t he h ighes t r ank which w i l l draw upon a whole host of advanced t e c h n o l o g i e s , i n c l u d i n g o u r own f i e l d of i n t e r e s t . F i n a l l y , i t i s bound t o r e s u l t i n new t e c h n o l o g i c a l s p i n o f f s .

Medical Equipment

Appl ied Superconduct iv i ty is an enabl ing t echno logy fo r t h ree impor t an t areas of medical p rac t i ce . These are diagnostic imaging of anatomy, spectroscopic s tudy of organic funct ion and t reatment of cancer by rad ia t ion therapy . These medica l a p p l i c a t i o n s r e p r e s e n t t h e f i r s t w i d e s p r e a d c o m m e r c i a l use of superconducting technology. The technology has r ap id ly d i f fused t h roughou t t he wor ld , a s s i s t ed by c o l l a b o r a t i v e i n t e r n a t i o n a l a g r e e m e n t s b e t w e e n pa r t i c ipa t ing f i rms . Fo r i n s t ance , Oxfo rd In s t rumen t s , a l e a d i n g f a c t o r i n t h e MRI magnet market, has licensing agreements with Siemens and has formed a j o i n t v e n t u r e i n J a p a n known as Furukawa Oxford.

Between 1973 and 1985 3500 X-ray C.A.T. scanners were i n s t a l l e d i n U.S. h o s p i t a l s and c l i n i c s . They have been the backbone of every diagnostic imaging department. These machines represent a b reak th rough i n t rea tment of p a t i e n t s by providing non-ihvasive, q u a n t i t a t i v e m e a s u r e s o f t i s s u e d e n s i t y , e l i m i n a t i n g exploratory surgery. These developments and their e n t h u s i a s t i c a c c e p t a n c e paved the way f o r , t h e a p p l i c a t i o n of NMR t echn iques t o d i agnos t i c s , beg inn ing w i t h c l i n i c a l t r ia ls of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, (MRI), i n 1980.

MRf. systems are now e s t a b l i s h e d i n o v e r 700 h o s p i t a l s and t h i s number is s t i l l growing rapidly. Mobile systems represent one of the fas tes t growing segments of the market. Detailed images can be obta ined f rom a lmost every par t of the body and p a t i e n t th roughputs of 7 t o 15/day are t y p i c a l i n a working environment. A c r u c i a l p a r a m e t e r f o r t h e MRI system is the scan time, whic.h is p resen t ly a round 40 minutes. I n most i n s t a n c e s MRI images are s u p e r i o r t o CT scans. I f t h e MRI scan time can be subs t an t i a l ly r educed , MRI w i l l r ap id ly supp lan t CT f o r most purposes.

During the past two y e a r s , c a p i t a l e x p e n d i t u r e s fo r imag ing sys t ems have exceeded one b i l l i on do l l a r s and rap id expans ion cont inues . The superconduct ing

magnet and cryogenic system comprises a s i g n i f i c a n t f r a c t i o n of the system cost . Thus, even imaging alone represents an on-going marke t for superconduct ing sys tems exceedi r ig the p resent marke t for such sys tems in h igh ene rgy phys i c s and energy technology taken t o g e t h e r .

Q u a n t i t a t i v e a n a l y s i s of t i s s u e s w i t h o u t t h e p r i o r s t r e s s f u l t e c h n i q u e s o f b iops i e s o r ang iograph ies can be car r ied ou t us ing pos i t ion emiss ion tomography (PET) or magnet ic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). These t e c h n i q u e s p r o v i d e , € o r t h e f i r s t time, f u h c t i o n a l r a t h e r t h a n s t r u c t u r a l i n f o r m a t i o n , w h i c h may l e a d t o c o r r e c t i v e t h e r a p y p r i o r t o i r r e v e r s i b l e datnage. Studies of phosphorous compounds i n t h e t i s s u e by MRS g i v e s d i r e c t i n f o r m a t i o n on metabol ism and leads to diagaosis of abnormal metabol ic behavior caused by e i t h e r d i s e a s e o r g e n e t i c d e f i c i e n c y . The marke t fo r MRS devices as s t and a lone sys t ems o r add-ons t o e x i s t i n g o r f u t u r e Mi1 systems i s expected to grow to $5OOM/yr. by i 9 9 5 w i t h f i e l d l e v e l s o f 2T and beyond, genera ted by superconducting magnets.

PGT scann ing u ses r ad ioac t ive i so topes ' o f sho r t h a l f - l i f e t o t a g many metabol ic pathways and local ize t h e i r u s e i n t h e b r a i n . It has Iieen dsed success fu l ly t o d e t e c t e p i l e p t i c f o c i and to d i agnose A lzhe imer ' s d i s e a s e . T h i s t e c h n i q u e r e q u i r e s a dedicated, compact c y c l o t r o n t o g e n e r a t e s h o r t l i v e d i s o t o p e s . T h e s e machines may use superconduct ing magnets .

Rad ia t ion t he rapy is a p r imary t oo l fo r t he treatment of cancer and our technology is l i k e l y t o p l ay an i nc reas ing ro l e i n t he deve lopmen t o f compact, dedicated machines such as c y c l o t r o n s , s y n c h r o t r o n s , l i n a c s and f r e e e l e c t r o n lasers f o r c l i n i c a l u s e . A t t h e moment, most of t h e s e d e v i c e s u t i l i z e c o n v e n t i o n a l magnets , but superconduct ing systems are being developed. One example is the supe rconduc t ing c y c l o t r o n f o r n e u t r o n t h e r a p y t o be i n s t a l l e d i n H a r p e r Hospi ta l , Michigan, later t h i s y e a r .

Seve ra l o the r med ica l t echn iques r e ly upon superconducting devices. For example the use of SQUIDS for magnetoencephalography, has a l r e a d y p r o v e n ' i t s v a l u e i n d i a g n o s i n g e p i l e p s y and l o c a t i n g f a u l t y areas of the brain. Another promising technique is non- invas ive angiography us ing compact , dedica ted [XRLS] s y n c h r o t r o n h i g h i n t e n s i t y X-ray l i g h t s o u r c e s , h i g h l y tuneable and monochromatic .with high f ield superconduct ing d ipole magnets .

Supe rconduc t ing E lec t ron ic s

The s c i e n c e and technology of Josephson Junct ions and t h e e l e c t r o n i c c i r c u i t s which devolve f rom this device, have a l l made s t eady p rogres s ove r t he last 25 yea r s . Th i s can r ead i ly be seen from the proceedings of t h i s c o n f e r e n c e . A s u b s t a n t i a l number of s p e c i a l i z e d a p p l i c a t i o n s h a v e emerged u t i l i z i n g SQUID d e t e c t o r s i n s i t u a t i o n s w h e r e h i g h l y s e n s i t i v e , magne t i c f i e ld changes are r equ i r ed t o be d e t e c t e d . Never the less , the g rowth of new products and the widespread appl ica t ion of Josephson e l ec t ron ic s has s imply no t oceur red to da te .

One o f t h e m a j o r r e a s o n s f o r t h i s s i t u a t i o n l i es in the ex t ra -ord inary advances which have occur red in semiconductor devices . Submicron microkircui ts are coming on stream and new h e t e r o s t r u c t u r e d e v i c e s s u c h as H i g h E l e c t r o n m o b i l i t y t r a n s i s t o r s p o t e n t i a i l y p , rovide severe compet i t ion for JJ c i r c u i t s a n d , of course, can be used at room temperature . Apparent ly t h i s was a m a j o r f a c t o r i n t h e IBM d e c i s i o n n o t t o proceed with development on a superconducting machine in the next computer genera t ion .

Given the high switching speed and low e n e r g e t i c s of the Josephson Junc t ion , it s t i l l remains poss ib le t h a t a superconducting computer w i l l e v e n t u a l l y be b u i l t , p r o b a b l y a t t h e l a r g e d a t a rate end of t h e spectrum. For the same t e c h n o l o g i c a l r e a s o n s , t h e r e i s a p o s s i b l e f u t u r e a p p l i c a t i o n o f JJ e l e c t r o n i c s t o advanced radar and ECM f r o n t end processors , where process time is g r e a t l y r e s t r i c t e d . S i m i l a r c o n s i d e r a t i o n s a p p l y i n t h e p a s s i v e d e t e c t o r f i e l d , such as I R , where r e f r i g e r a t i o n is l i k e l y t o be a l r e a d y necessa ry fo r s ens i t i v i ty r ea sons . Meanwhi l e , unde r t h e s t i m u l u s o f t h e s e a p p l i c a t i o n p o s s i b i l i t i e s , superconducting device technology is c u r r e n t l y making g r e a t s t r i d e s due t o a d v a n c e s i n t h e art of a tomic scale d e p o s i t i o n a n d t h e a b i l i t y t o f a b r i c a t e p r e c i s e l y c o n t r o l l e d l a y e r e d la t t ices .

There would seem t o be l i t t l e s c o p e f o r Government s p o n s o r e d I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o l l a b o r a t i o n i n t h i s f i e l d . I n d i v i d u a l s c i e n t i s t - t o - s c i e n t i s t a c t i v i t y , i s a l r e a d y p r o l i f i c . A big computer would cost a g r e a t d e a l , b u t in th i s ex t remely compet i t ive commerc ia l f ie ld any l a r g e - s c a l e c o l l a b o r a t i o n would probably be company-to- company.

Natural Resources

I n t h e p a s t t h e r e has been some concern over natural resources needed to support widespread a p p l i c a t i o n of s u p e r c o n d u c t i v i t y p a r t i c u l a r l y f o r t h e c r i t i ca l elements helium and niobium. Based on our judgement of supply and demand fo r t hese e l emen t s ove r the next 30 years o r so, we see no unreso lvable problem.

Present he l ium use is around 2 b i l l i o n c u b i c f t . per year and has been increasing a t 10%/yr . over the p a s t few years. More a t t e n t i o n is be ing pa id t o conse rva t ion p rac t i ces such as r e c y c l i n g and c losed cycle systems. About 39 b i l l i o n c . f . r e m a i n s i n Government s t o r a g e new Amaril lo, Texas. I n a d d i t i o n , 105 b i l l i o n c . f . i s e s t i m a t e d t o e x i s t i n t h e R i l e y R i d g e g a s f i e l d i n Wyoming and i s be ing so ld commercial ly . I f the 10% annual rate of i nc rease o f consumption would cont inue for another decade and then f l a t t e n o u t , p r e s e n t l y known r e s e r v e s would last less t h a n 30 y e a r s a l t o g e t h e r . U n l e s s r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e new suppl ies can be found, more i n t e n s i v e c o n s e r v a t i o n measures w i l l be necessary long before the 30 year d e a d l i n e is reached. A happy thought is t h a t i E superconductors working in hydrogen l iqu id , o r a t h ighe r t empera tu res were ava i l ab le , t hese p rob lems would disappear.

Niobium supply seemed to be in j eopardy in 1979 because of a d o u b l i n g i n price i n t h a t y e a r f o r t h e oxide, which was derived from tantalum ore. However, CBNM of Braz i l began supply ing acceptab le ox ide f rom i t s Ferrocolumbium mine a t Araxa , Braz i l in 1980, s e t t i n g the p r i c e a t ha l f t he l eve l t hen p reva i l i ng and

This mine has t he c a p a b i l i t y of s a t i s f y i n g w o r l d committing i t s e l f t o p r i c e s t a b i l i t y i n f u t u r e y e a r s .

niobium demand a t c u r r e n t rates o f i nc rease , fo r 500 years . Some o t h e r r e s e r v e s of niobium i n o r e s of lower c o n c e n t r a t i o n are cur ren t ly be ing marke ted .

Conclusion

background provided the ground work for deve lopments i n s u p e r c o n d u c t i v i t y and i ts suppor t ing t echno log ie s such as c ryogen ics , he l ium l i que fac t ion and instrumentat ion. It becomes appa ren t f rom ou r d i scuss ion , t ha t t he re has a l s o b e e n a n e s c a l a t i o n i n t h e q u a l i t y and quan t i ty o f wor ld w ide i n t e rac t ion i n s c i ence and technology, in s p i t e of the antagonism of t h e two g r e a t wars, and an increase in the speed wi th which advances i n developed c o u n t r i e s are appl ied ' ac ross the board . '

A f u r t h e r well known l e s s o n is t h a t t h e f u t u r e h a s i t s s u r p r i s e s , r a r e l y d i s c e r n e d f r o m t h e p a s t . T h i s should no t p revent us f rom a t tempt ing to de te rmine t r e n d s and to sugges t poss ib l e con t ingenc ie s .

I n medicine, i t is clear tha t supe rconduc t ing e l e c t r o t e c h n o l o g y w i l l be i n c r e a s i n g u t i l i z e d by t h e r i c h e s t members of the popuIat ion of the advanced c o u n t r i e s . In the energy indus t ry i t is d i f f i c u l t t o p r e d i c t i f and when t h e d e m o n s t r a t e d f e a s i b i l i t y of supe rconduc t ing app l i ca t ions w i l l l ead to widespread use: Heavy i n d u s t r y w i l l make inc reas ing u se o f i n t e n s e , l a r g e volume m a g n e t i c f i e l d s i n e n e r g y s a v i n g areas such as r e p l a c i n g c o n v e n t i o n a l f i e l d s e p a r a t o r s with superconduct ing windings. I n phys ic s , t he SSC and LHC i f eve r app roved fo r cons t ruc t ion migh t be last of t h e h a d r o n c o l l i d e r s . The f u t u r e of heavy ion c o l l i d e r s is unclear. Superconducting ship-borne and g r o u n d t r a n s p o r t a t i o n c o u l d b e u t i l i z e d at a n e a r l y d a t e b u t p r e s e n t d a y p o l i c i e s h a v e n o t f a v o r e d t h e i r adoption. Space and advanced aeronautics, with the inc reas ing u se o f hydrogen l i qu id , ce r t a in ly f avor s t he use of superconductors as d o e s t h e i r a p p l i c a t i o n i n h igh qua l i ty ins t rumenta t ion . Superconduct ing R.F. c a v i t i e s seem d e s t i n e d t o become a n i n t e g r a l p a r t o f R.F. engineer ing .

I n a world which is i n c r e a s i n g l y c l o s e l y k n i t , t h e c o l l a b o r a t i o n we have recorded w i l l i n c r e a s i n g l y i n t e n s i f y , h o p e f u l l y c o n t r i b u t i n g t o t h e m a t u r i n g of mankind and to peace.

General References

Proceedings of the fol lowing conferences over the past years :

1. The Applied Superconductivity Conferences.

2. The In t e rna t iona l Confe rences on Magnet Technology.

3. The Cryogenic- and International-Cryogenic Engineering Conferences.

4 . The Fusion Engineering Conferences.

5. The Pa r t i c l e Acce le ra to r Confe rences .

6. Recent North American Radiology Conferences.

Also :

7. Conference on Future Markets i n Medical Imaging, Las Vegas, Nevada, Sept. 15, 1986, Biomedical Bus iness In t e rna t iona l , I nc .

We began by o u t l i n i n g p r o g r e s s i n a p p l y i n g supe rconduc to r s i n e l ec t ro t echno logy ove r t he pas t twenty-f ive years and fol lowed this by d e s c r i b i n g some o f t he pa thways i n co l l abora t ion t ha t have p l ayed a s i g n i f i c a n t p a r t i n t h i s e v o l u t i o n . S u b s e q u e n t t o Onnes' discovery of s u p e r c o n d u c t i v i t y 75 years ago , t h e r e was a tremendous expansion in science and technology, s t imula ted by both world wars. This