Shanghai Superconductor Successfully Hosts the “High-Temperature and High-Field Superconducting Materials and Application Technology Seminar”"

From April 28 to 29, 2016, the “High-Temperature and High-Field Superconducting Materials and Application Technology Seminar” was held in Shanghai. The seminar was organized by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), co-organized by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of CAS, and hosted by Shanghai Superconductor Technology Co., Ltd. The event was presided over by Academician Wang Yifang, director of the Institute of High Energy Physics. Over 50 experts from various fields, including superconducting mechanisms, superconducting materials, and superconducting applications, as well as leaders from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, CAS, and the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, were invited to attend. These experts included Academician Gan Zizhao from Peking University, Academician Wan Yuanxi and Zhang Yuheng from the University of Science and Technology of China, Academician Chen Xianhui, Academician Wu Maokun from Academia Sinica in Taiwan, Researcher Zhou Xingjiang from the Institute of Physics, Researcher Lin Liangzhen and Wang Qiuliang from the Institute of Electrical Engineering, President Zhang Pingxiang from the Northwest Institute for Nonferrous Metal Research, and Professor Li Yijie from Shanghai Jiao Tong University. They jointly discussed the application directions and challenges of high-temperature and high-field superconducting materials and proposed different views and suggestions on the long-term development direction and strategies for high-temperature and high-field superconducting technologies. Academician Zhang Jie, president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Deputy Director Gan Pin of the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission attended the meeting and delivered welcome speeches.

Despite a late start, China has made significant progress in recent years in the basic research (mechanisms and material preparation) and application technologies of high-temperature and high-field superconducting materials, reaching world-class levels. In terms of superconducting applications, China is also catching up quickly, especially with some major scientific projects proposed by domestic institutions, such as the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) and the Circular Electron Positron Collider - Super Proton Proton Collider (CEPC-SPPC) projects, which plan to adopt superconducting technologies to enhance the performance of the facilities. Through the leadership and drive of these major scientific projects, the development and industrialization of domestic superconducting technologies are expected to accelerate. High-temperature superconducting materials have broad application prospects in fields such as power and energy, high-end medical equipment, rail transit, major scientific projects, and defense. At the seminar, industry experts unanimously stated that to break through the industrialization of high-temperature superconducting materials, research institutes, universities, enterprises, and the government need to unite. By leveraging the large-scale demands from various application fields, they should conduct “full-chain superconducting research from mechanisms, material preparation to applications.” The goal is to achieve significant disruptive breakthroughs within 5 to 10 years and greatly improve the cost-performance ratio of superconducting materials.

As the first domestic supplier capable of mass-producing second-generation HTS tapes, Shanghai Superconductor has made considerable progress in the application of high-temperature superconducting materials. The company has collaborated with more than ten research institutions and enterprises, including the Institute of High Energy Physics of CAS, the Institute of Electrical Engineering of CAS, and the Dongfang Electric Corporation, on various projects such as particle accelerators, superconducting cables, and superconducting motors. Currently, Shanghai Superconductor is closely involved in the Circular Electron Positron Collider - Super Proton Proton Collider (CEPC-SPPC) project, led by the Institute of High Energy Physics of CAS, which is expected to invest billions of yuan. The collaboration between the two parties began in the second half of 2014. In 2015, they co-hosted the “ICFA MINI-WORKSHOP ON HIGH FIELD MAGNETS FOR PP COLLIDERS” seminar, laying the foundation for the application of high-temperature superconducting materials in major scientific projects and future cooperation. This seminar is the second high-level workshop co-hosted by the two parties focusing on high-temperature superconducting materials for particle accelerators.

During the seminar, academicians, leaders, and experts visited Shanghai Superconductor to gain a deeper understanding of the company’s overall structure, products, and development strategies. The tapes produced by Shanghai Superconductor were highly praised by experts and partners for their world-leading performance in low-temperature and high-field conditions, top-tier packaging technology, and advanced low-resistance joint technology. By hosting the “High-Temperature and High-Field Superconducting Materials and Application Technology Seminar,” the company aims to connect with more research institutions and enterprises, jointly explore the application value of high-temperature superconducting materials in various fields, and strive to make substantial contributions to China’s economic development in this round of supply-side structural reforms.