Amazing strength of the HTS superconducting-magnet
Imagine a power equivalent to 150,000 times the strength of the earth's magnetic field packed ito a shoebox, and the first thing to strike your mind is a perfect image of a super magnet.
HTS-110, a company based in Gracefield, New Zealand, has given life to this super imagination by developing superconducting magnets which is based on the High-temperature superconductor (HTS) technology. It is made using a formula developed by Industrial Research over a period of 20 years. One design could create a suitcase-sized generator with the same output as up to eight wind turbines, enough to power almost 700 houses, says Dr Sohail Choudhry, the company's chief executive.
HTS-110, which has more than doubled its turnover in the past 12 months, has been named start-up exporter of the year at the 2007 Gen-i Incubator awards. Dr Choudhry is very optimistic about the future of HTS magnets. He said:
The potential for our business could reach in excess of $100 million in the next 10 years.
And his words are believable. Because of its wide-ranging applications it is increasingly being picked up by companies looking for compact, powerful and efficient magnets. Minesweepers, MRI scan technology and emergency power supplies are some of the applications which use magnets. The super magnets have been sold to Germany, the United States and Japan and have attracted interest from aerospace, military and research institutions.
The process of integrating HTS magnets into industrial process analysers is also under way and will be ready for the market in six months. The super magnets could save millions of dollars by improving product analysis for oil companies and and thereby enhancing the capabilities for research institutions.
Industrial Research has 50% 0wnership of the company, and that gives HTS-110 the exclusive rights to its research. It also has rights from American Superconductor Corporation which has 20% stake. This makes HTS-110 the undisputed leader of the industry as yet.
