The design for a high-T_c superconducting magnetic separator

A number of options for the design of a superconducting high-T_c magnetic separator have been considered and it is suggested that, when material properties have improved sufficiently, a separator based on a flux tube with a flux pump will offer significant advantages. Another design for a more detailed evaluation was chosen based on an iron magnetic circuit in which amper-turns were supplied by a superconducting BSCCO-Ag tape wound coil operating at 77 K. Two configurations for the separator were considered, a ball matrix separator and a wire matrix high-gradient separator. Practical separations will be possible with such a system.