Magnet design for superconducting open gradient magnetic separator

The use of superconductivity opens new applications for magnetic separation because very high magnetic fields become available. In this paper the magnet design for a laboratory scale superconducting open gradient magnetic separator is presented. The separator will be used to optimize the separation parameters for different kinds of applications, such as the foundry sand purification. Therefore, the goal of the magnet design is to obtain a constant magnetic force density distribution inside the working volume. The high magnitude of magnetic force density is required because the materials to be separated have low magnetic susceptibilities. The maximum achievable force density is determined by the critical current in superconducting magnets. The advantages and drawbacks of solenoid, racetrack and saddle coil geometries are compared. Ways for improving the performance of the system is discussed. Finally, the influence of the stray field on the slurry flow outside the working volume is studied. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.