NbTi superconducting wires and applications

Abstract NbTi superconductor has been investigated for nearly half a century since its discovery in 1962. At present, high-performance ductile NbTi superconducting wires are manufactured as a commodity product for applications where large and uniform magnetic fields are required. This chapter summarizes the characteristics of NbTi superconducting wires, including their alloy composition, microstructure, and low-temperature properties. The fabrication process of NbTi superconducting wires is introduced in detail. Western Superconducting Technologies (WST) in China has successfully developed different types of NbTi superconducting wires, including Monolith NbTi superconducting wire, wire-in-channel (WIC) NbTi superconducting wire, and NbTi superconducting cables. These wires and cables are widely used in international thermonuclear experimental reactors (ITER), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), magnetic-field applied czochralski crystal growth systems (MCZ), high energy particle accelerators, high-intensity heavy-ion accelerator facilities (HIAF), superconducting liquid level meter for superconducting magnets, and magnetic separation and magnetic levitation (Maglev).