Courtesy of superconductors.org
One area of much research is in the use of superconductors for transportation. Specifically in maglev (magnetic levetation) trains. Trains could theoretically be made to float above a track and move without friction (other than wind resistance). In December 2003 Japan tested the MLX01 test train than attained a speed of 361 mph. A small scale version of a simple maglev train is shown below.
Superconductor
generator technology has been improving greatly.
Electric generators made with superconducting wire
are far more efficient than conventional
generators wound with copper wire. In fact, their
efficiency is above 99% and their size about half
that of conventional generators. These facts make
them very lucrative ventures for power
utilities.General Electric has estimated the
potential worldwide market for superconducting
generators in the next decade at around $20-30
billion dollars. Late in 2002 GE Power Systems
received $12.3 million in funding from the U.S.
Department of Energy to move high-temperature
superconducting generator technology toward full
commercialization.
Photo courtesy of superconductors.com
The military has also been using
superconductors. One example is in the degaussing
of ship hulls. Superconductors can be used to aid
in combat as well. The most
known use of superconductors may come with the
deployment of "E-bombs". These are devices that
make use of strong, superconductor-derived
magnetic fields to create a fast, high-intensity
electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) to disable an enemy's
electronic equipment. Such a device (shown below)
saw its first use in wartime in March 2003 when US
Forces attacked an Iraqi broadcast facility.
Photo courtesy of globalsecurity.org
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