NISMAT

Superconducting magnets are nowadays widely used and the very high magnetic fields they can generate have revolutionized a large range of applications. Superconducting devices are still very expensive, not only because of the cost of the superconducting materials and their fabrication, but because most of them can only be operated at 4 K (liquid helium temperature). The forecasted electricity prices in western countries and the future availability and cost of helium, ask for urgent studies and innovative pilot projects in the field of the “energy efficient” design of superconducting magnets, using high temperature superconductors (HTS). CEA led the submission to a FET-OPEN call organized in September 2015 of the proposal NEEDS. This proposal was aiming to develop a Novel Energy Efficient Design of Superconducting magnets. The first goal was the development and the fabrication of innovative HTS tapes and cables with very low losses. The second priority was the innovative and fully-original integration directly inside a magnet coil assembly of a Cryogenic Pulsating Heat Pipes (CPHP) cooling system working at 77 K (liquid nitrogen temperature), which would lead to a compact and much cheaper cryogenic system. Third and fourth final targets were the realization and tests of two demonstrator magnets to validate the successful implementation of the developments. The NEEDS program was based on the collaboration of world-wide recognized physics research organizations, one university and high-tech EU Industries. The NEEDS program provides a significant breakthrough in fundamentals fields. Main advancements covers material science and its technology challenges (with the manufacturing of high-tech HTS compounds) and also fluid-dynamic and heat transfer processes (with the comprehension and mastering of the key parameters governing the CPHP, field that is still in a pioneering phase). Short-term applications are evident and immediate in the particle accelerators domain where several projects now in R&D phase are deeply looking to maximization of energy saving. Practically any domains based on superconducting magnets can benefit of the NEEDS project with the development of such energy-efficient magnet design, especially medical and power applications, which could have a strong and durable impact on the society. Despite a very good evaluation (overall score of 4.2/5), the project was unfortunately not funded due to the very strong selection (only 11 funded projects over 800 submitted). The novelty of the NEEDS program was clearly stated by the four reviewers. But the main weakness is that NEEDS was too much focusing on particle accelerators magnets, when many other fields could benefit of the technological outcome. Considering the very high potential of the technical novelties covered of NEEDS and their own strategic interests, several partners agreed to prepare a new proposal, taking into account comments of the first evaluation. The NISMAT program aims at developing a Network on Innovative Superconducting MAgnet Technologies that will include new partners to extend the possible applications of NEEDS to other sectors of activities. The goal of NISMAT will be to present the expected developments accomplished in the frame of the NEEDS project to industries and labs in order to associate at least one of the few European companies expert in superconducting magnet fabrication and to identify possible new applications and future research activities. Besides, the presentation and the wording of the first proposal have to be improved in order to highlight the overall quality of the project and to show how NEEDS will have a strong impact on other applied superconducting technologies. Therefore, NISMAT will also fund a professional expert in elaborating scientific proposals for European calls to support the new NEEDS proposal preparation.