The top five manufacturers of high-temperature superconductors hold over 95% of the global market.
These companies are: Sumitomo, American Superconductor (AMSC), Furukawa, Fujikura and SuNam.
There are also makers of low temperature superconductors and medium temperature superconductors.
Superconducting wires are classified as low-temperature (LTS), medium-temperature (MTS), and high-temperature (HTS). Low-temperature superconductors (LTS) are made from superconductors with low critical temperatures, such as niobium–tin (Nb3Sn) and niobium–titanium (NbTi). LTS wires are often used in high-field magnet applications and in nuclear fusion reactors and particle accelerators.
Magnesium diboride is the main type of medium temperature superconducting wire. It is produced by melting magnesium and boron powders at magnesium’s melting temperature and then forming and finishing the wires. Magnesium diboride can be used to produce wires, tapes, and flexible ribbon cables. MgB2 has a transition temperature of 40 K but is usually used at 15-30K temperatgure applications.
High temperature conducting wires are coated conductors that offer very efficient electricity handling below a set temperature level. Two of the most common materials for superconducting wires are bismuth strontium calcium copper oxygen (BSCCO) wires and Rare earth barium copper oxide (ReBCO) wires.
American Superconductor only has $120 million per year of revenue. They have some wind turbine products and customers and a significant and growing business to use superconducting wire to hide the magnetic signature of navy ships. Hiding the magnetic signature of Navy ships can prevent magnetic mines from destroying the ships. American Superconductor expects the demagnetizing Navy ship business to grow to $200 million per year in revenue.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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Can superconductors not be detected? I’d have thought something exhibiting the Meissner effect passing you by would cause enough of a disturbance in an otherwise static magnetic field that it could be pinpointed.
Naval mines, 30 years ago at least, look for specific magnetic signatures caused by the hull moving through the earth’s magnetic field. Carriers have stronger signatures than destroyers. Not sure what sensor and processing technologies have been added since. But degaussing technology goes back to the end of WWII.
cheaper, lighter and more effective degaussing with the new superconductor technology