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April
2006
More evidence
for 'stripes' in high-temperature superconductors
Upton,
NY, Apr. 26: An international collaboration including two physicists from the
U.S. Department of Energy's
Brookhaven National Laboratory has published additional evidence to support
the existence of "stripes" in high-temperature (Tc) superconductors. The report
in the April 27, 2006, issue of Nature strengthens earlier claims that such
stripes -- a particular spatial arrangement of electrical charges -- might
somehow contribute to the mechanism by which these materials carry current with
no resistance.
more>>
American
Superconductor Receives $13.3 Million Contract Amendment from U.S. Navy's Office
of Naval Research
Westborough, MA, Apr. 27: American
Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ:
AMSC), a leading energy technologies company, announced today that it has
finalized an additional contract amendment with the United States Navy's Office
of Naval Research (ONR). Under the terms of the amendment, the ONR has approved
a $13.3 million increase to AMSC's contract for the design, manufacture and
shipment of a factory-tested 36.5-megawatt (MW) (49,000 horsepower) high
temperature superconductor (HTS) propulsion motor for electric warships. The
amendment adds $13.3 million to AMSC's backlog, all of which is expected to be
recognized as revenue by the end of calendar 2006.
more>>
Bruker BioSpin
Announces the World's Highest Field Actively-Shielded NMR Magnet at 950 MHz
Pacific Grove, CA, Apr. 25: At the
Experimental NMR Conference (ENC),
Bruker BioSpin
Corporation announces the 950 US2 – the world’s first
actively-shielded 950 MHz superconducting magnet. With the new 950 US2,
Bruker BioSpin breaks its own previous world record for actively-shielded NMR
magnets established two years ago with the introduction of the 900 US2.
more>>
Varian, Inc. Debuts New 400MHz
and 700 MHz Magnets for Magnetic Resonance Systems
Palo Alto, CA, Apr.
24: Varian, Inc. (Nasdaq:
VARI) today
announced that it now offers a full range of magnetic resonance magnets with the
introduction of 400MHz and 700MHz Premium Shielded magnets. The company is now
able to offer complete, integrated narrow bore and wide bore nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR) solutions that include consoles, probes, magnets and software.
more>>
American Superconductor Announces Record Electrical
Performance for Proprietary 2G High Temperature Superconductors
Hannover, Germany, Apr. 24: American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ:
AMSC) , a leading energy technologies company, announced today at Hannover
Fair 2006, the world's leading showcase for industrial technology, a new record
for electrical performance of its proprietary second generation (2G) high
temperature superconductor (HTS) wire. AMSC's scientists achieved an additional
10% increase in electrical performance of its 2G HTS wire to 492 Amperes per
centimeter of wire width. This is an increase of 44 Amperes over the previous
record set by American Superconductor just a few months ago.
more>>
Argonne
National Laboratory and Fermilab sign collaborative agreement aimed at
multi-billion-dollar project
Chicago, IL, Apr. 21: Two U.S. Department of Energy laboratories, Argonne
National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, signed a
Memorandum of Understanding today to enhance cooperation between the two
laboratories on R&D projects. This cooperation has the potential to increase the
possibility of siting the International Linear Collider (ILC), a proposed
international, multi-billion-dollar project, in the United States. Jack Lavin,
Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, signed
the MOU as witness for the State.
more>>
Siemens and
Nexans present the first superconducting bearing for industrial applications
Munich,
Germany, Apr. 20:
Siemens AG and Nexans SuperConductors GmbH (NSC)
are to exhibit the first superconducting bearing for industrial applications
jointly at the "SuperConductingCity," a forum on superconductivity at the
Hannover Fair 2006. Siemens, which has been long involved in the field of HTS
magnetic bearings, commissioned NSC to build a prototype suitable for industrial
purposes for practical testing. This cooperative venture was part of a 4-MVA HTS
generator project supported by BMBF. The HTS bearing is based on
High-Temperature Superconductors (HTS) which support a rotating shaft in a
magnetic field through contactless suspension.
more>>
Samuel Aronson Named Interim Laboratory Director
Upton, NY, Apr. 18: The Board of Directors of
Brookhaven
Science Associates (BSA), which manages Brookhaven National Laboratory for
the U.S. Department of Energy, announced today that Samuel Aronson, the Lab's
Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) for High Energy and Nuclear Physics, would
become the Laboratory's Interim Director when current Director Praveen Chaudhari
steps down on April 30, 2006. Chaudhari announced on February 17, 2006, that he
would step down at the end of this month.
more>>
Superconductivity Awards Go to Leaders in Superconducting Magnet and Energy
Technologies
Portland, OR,
Apr. 17: Superconductors are at the heart of several large and rapidly growing industries, ranging from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to fusion energy research. Superconductors, which can transmit electricity with zero losses, may soon revolutionize other industries as well, including electric power, communications, computing, nanotechnology, and transportation.
Superconductor Week, the leading publication on superconductor business and technology, today calls attention to two leaders at the forefront of the global superconductor industry.
more>>
Superconductor
Technologies Inc. Names New Vice President of Product Management and Marketing
Santa
Barbara, CA, Apr. 17: Superconductor Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:
SCON), a leading
provider of high performance infrastructure products for wireless voice and data
applications, today announced that Adam Shelton has joined the company as Vice
President of Product Management and Marketing. Shelton will report to Jeff
Quiram, STI's president and chief executive officer, as a key member of the
senior management team and will manage all aspects of STI's product management
and marketing program.
more>>
Trithor
Shipment of High Performance Superconductor to Ansaldo CRIS Completed
Rheinbach,
Germany, Apr. 10:
Trithor
GmbH, a leading producer of high temperature superconductor (HTS) systems,
components and wires, is pleased to report on the successful completion of a
large scale delivery from its Rheinbach superconductor factory.
High temperature superconductors are being
currently used or emerging in markets where large power is to be handled
efficiently and safely. This includes for instance rotating machines such as big
motors or generators, power transmission cables, and large magnets.
Previously reported in
Superconductor Week, Vol 20, No 5.
more>>
NASA Picks
Contractor to Chill Space Telescope Instrument
Pasedena,
CA, Apr. 6:
NASA has awarded a subcontract to
Northrop Grumman
Space Technology in Redondo Beach, Calif., to develop an ultra-cold
mechanical helium cryocooler for the Mid-Infrared Instrument on the James Webb
Space Telescope. The contract totals about $22 million.
more>>
American Superconductor's SuperVAR
Dynamic Synchronous Condenser Wins Award for 'Technology in the Service of
Science' from IEEE Spectrum and EE Times
San Jose,
CA, Apr. 5: American Superconductor
Corporation (NASDAQ:
AMSC), a leading energy
technologies company, and the Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA), the nation's largest
public power provider, were jointly honored by IEEE Spectrum and EE Times
magazine at the second Annual Creativity in Electronics (ACE) Awards Gala.
AMSC's SuperVAR® dynamic synchronous condenser, the world's first commercial
high temperature superconductor product to be utilized on the electric
transmission grid, won the award for Technology in the Service of Science.
more>>
American Superconductor Demonstrates World's First
Full-Scale High Temperature Superconductor Degaussing Cable for Military Ships
Washington, DC, Apr. 4: American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ:
AMSC) , a leading energy technologies company, today announced at the annual
U.S. Navy League Sea-Air-Space Conference -- the premier gathering for
presenting new naval technologies -- the successful demonstration of the world's
first full-scale superconductor-based degaussing cable. Degaussing cables are
utilized in most navy ships to reduce their magnetic signature, thereby making
them much more difficult to be "seen" by magnetic sensors and specifically by
magnetically activated mines. The HTS degaussing cable that was demonstrated --
a proprietary AMSC design that incorporates AMSC's high temperature
superconductor (HTS) wire -- is 142 feet (40 meters) long.
more>>
ORNL uses nanodots to boost superconductivity
Oak Ridge, TN, Apr. 3:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
researchers have demonstrated a way to sustain high supercurrents in wires in
the presence of a large applied magnetic field -- a step which could greatly
expand practical applications of superconductors. By creating columns of
self-aligned, non-superconductive "nanodots" within the superconductor, the ORNL
team has produced a high-temperature superconductor that works even in a
powerful magnetic field.
more>>
Intermagnetics Reports Increased
Q3 Sales, Net Income
Latham, NY, Apr. 3: Intermagnetics General Corporation (NASDAQ:
IMGC) today reported that third-quarter normalized net income from
operations increased 14 percent to $8.2 million, or $0.19 per diluted share,
from $7.3 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, a year earlier. Reported income
from continuing operations increased to $5.5 million, or $0.13 per diluted
share, from $4.8 million or $0.11 per diluted share. Revenues for the quarter
ended February 26, 2006, climbed 12 percent to nearly $77 million from $69
million. Per-share amounts have been adjusted to reflect the 3-2 stock split
effective February 21, 2006.
more>>
Restructuring of Oxford Instruments' UK Superconductivity businesses
Tubney Woods, England, Apr.
3: Oxford Instruments plc (LSE:
OXIG) announced the creation of Oxford Instruments NanoScience and its
intention to discontinue general volume production of undifferentiated low field
magnets for OEM customers. (In depth coverage in
Superconductor Week,
vol 20, no 3)
more>>
Industry News from the previous month and earlier, here>>
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