EASITrain — European Advanced Superconductivity Innovation and Training

Results in brief

European Advanced Superconductivity Innovation and Training

Superconductivity remains largely untapped due to the limited understanding of how to apply the fundamental principles at engineering level and the capability to deploy the technology at large scale cost-effectively. Putting energy efficient technologies on a fast track to market adoption is therefore a prime concern. Developing new superconducting materials is essential for a possible successor to the LHC currently being explored by the Future Circular Collider (FCC) study. Beyond fundamental research, superconducting materials are used in applications as diverse as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the magnetic separation of minerals in the mining industry and efficient power transmission across long distances. Superconductivity is not only improving the energy efficiency of numerous applications at large scale, but for certain use cases it is the only feasible way. In addition, the improvement of cryogenic refrigeration systems is paramount for the deployment of superconductivity at large scales. Such systems are also key elements in the hydrogen production chain, another eco-friendly technology. Different production techniques are required to create devices that use this leading-edge technology. The advances of those techniques have numerous additional potentials to improve our daily lives that this project analyses. This project enhanced our understanding of how different superconductors behave under diverse operating conditions and the factors limiting their performance, and advancing the production methods and performance of low and high temperature superconductors. New insights have been obtained into the factors limiting wire performance, and the mechanisms by which high-field performance can be improved by doping and artificial pinning centres, for Nb3Sn and MgB2 wires. New deposition methods have been developed for thallium-based coatings, and several production methods for superconducting RF cavities have been studied and optimised. Significant progress has also been made towards improving the efficiency of cryogenic refrigeration systems, including modelling the thermodynamic properties of cryogenic mixtures, a design study, and validation of the predicted characteristics with a test rig. The activities of the EASItrain consortium were accompanied by “open innovation management”, analysing the value chains of the production processes for the different superconducting technologies to assess the market potential outside their core application fields.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

The two greatest obstacles to a wide spread adoption of superconductivity remain the limited understanding of its fundamental principles and the yet insufficient capability for large-scale, cost-effective deployment of the technology. Science rather than serendipity is the key to unlock the potentials of this alluring natural phenomenon. The proposed ITN integrates sound research projects aimed at learning to predict the behaviour of superconducting materials, at introducing innovative manufacturing techniques, at developing efficient cryogenic refrigeration techniques as key enablers for future applications and establishing these technologies as the new state of the art. The ambitious goals of this consortium are (1) making advanced superconductors fitter for the market, (2) assessing their innovation capacities and (3) equipping a new generation of researchers with the unique skills required to convert knowledge into products: Efficient grid power management, 21st century medical imaging, leaps in effectiveness of wind power generators, efficient electric propulsion systems and sustainable refrigeration for industry give an impression of the potential societal benefits that superconductor-based technologies can catalyze. This initiative under European leadership federates leading universities, research centres and industries, embracing a variety of science sectors, such as physics and mathematics, material sciences, process and mechanical engineering, refrigeration, cryogenics and innovation management. The intriguing blend of science and engineering, compounded by visionary application opportunities in companies, creates a fertile environment for innovative training of early-stage researchers. Significant training lead-times call for a dedicated action. This ITN will provide its fellows with a sound knowledge in the relevant fields along with business competences and prepare them for a broad spectrum of career opportunities in research and industry.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

ORGANISATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLEAIRE · GENEVE 23CoordinatorSwitzerland
AIRBUS GROUP LIMITED · LONDONUnited Kingdom
ASG SUPERCONDUCTORS SPA · GenovaItaly
BILFINGER NOELL GMBH · WurzburgGermany
BRUKER HTS GMBH · HANAUGermany
COMMISSARIAT A L ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES · ParisFrance
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE · RomaItaly
CemeCon AG · WürselenGermany
HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM BERLIN FUR MATERIALIEN UND ENERGIE GMBH · BerlinGermany
I-CUBE RESEARCH · ToulouseFrance
IEEE Council on Superconductivity · Piscataway NJUnited States
ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI FISICA NUCLEARE · FrascatiItaly
MAN DIESEL & TURBO SCHWEIZ AG · ZurichSwitzerland
RI RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS GMBH · Bergisch GladbachGermany
SIGMAPHI · VANNESFrance
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET DRESDEN · DresdenGermany
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIEN · WienAustria
TERRA MATER STUDIOS GMBH · WienAustria
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA · GENOVAItaly
UNIVERSITAET SIEGEN · SiegenGermany
UNIVERSITY OF STUTTGART · StuttgartGermany
WIRTSCHAFTSUNIVERSITAT WIEN · WienAustria

EASITrain · European Advanced Superconductivity Innovation and Training

Results in brief

European Advanced Superconductivity Innovation and Training

Project objective

Participants

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