China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) is a tokamak reactor; one design option under the consideration of the China National Integration Design Group employs superconducting magnets. The fusion power is at the range of 50-200 MW and the duty cycle (or burning time) was envisioned as 30%-50%. The plasma current will be 10 MA and the major and minor radii are 5.7 and 1.6 m, respectively. The concept engineering design including the magnet system, vacuum vessel (VV) system, and maintenance method has been carried out in the past years. The toroidal magnetic field strength at R₀ is 5 T and the maximum flux swing provided by central solenoid winding will be 160 VS. The main design work, including the electromagnetic analysis of the magnet system, has already been carried out. This paper mainly probes into the VV design and optimization based on three types of maintenance ports. Furthermore, the maintenance method, counted as one of the most important design studies, is presented specifically in this paper. It includes the design of the maintenance ports and the remote handling system design, and so on. The next design stage will mainly include mechanical design, conductor stability, different types of divertor system design, and so on.

With the first tokamak designed for full nuclear operation now well into final assembly (ITER), and a major new research tokamak starting commissioning (JT60SA), nuclear fusion is becoming a mainstream potential energy source for the future. A critical part of the viability of magnetic confinement for fusion is superconductor technology. The experience gained and lessons learned in the application of this technology to ITER and JT60SA, together with new and improved superconducting materials, is opening multiple routes to commercial fusion reactors. The objective of this roadmap is, through a series of short articles, to outline some of these routes and the materials/technologies that go with them.

The global shift towards sustainable development and technological advancements has propelled the energy transition trend. Recognizing the substantial environmental impact of conventional commercial airplanes, there is a growing urgency to develop a sophisticated superconducting motor system for commercial aviation. The advent of high-temperature superconducting motors presents a transformative leap, offering significant advantages in power density and efficiency when compared to traditional motors. To validate the issues that future liquid-hydrogen superconducting electric airplanes may encounter, a kilowatt-class aerospace high-temperature superconducting motor is designed. Based on the requirements of airborne applications, critical parameters such as electromagnetic characteristics, operating characteristics, and AC losses have been analyzed. Furthermore, extensive research and testing have been conducted on the superconducting motor magnet, leading to the successful assembly of a prototype. The superconducting motor has a rated output power of 2.7 kW and a rated speed of 5000 rpm. Rigorous ground operation performance tests have also been conducted to ensure the feasibility and reliability of the motor in practical applications. Benefiting from the topological structure design, the superconducting motor has an excellent sealing performance at low temperatures. The superconducting motor can maintain low temperature and high vacuum for a long time, when the vacuum pump is removed and the liquid nitrogen inlet is closed after the motor is completely cooled. The culmination of these endeavors is the realization of a successful flight validation of an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a high-temperature superconducting motor, demonstrating a sustained flight of nearly one hour.

High magnetic fields play a critical role in the development of modern science and technology, breeding many significant scientific discoveries and boosting the generation of new technologies. In the last few years, China has undertaken a great deal of work on the application of ultra-high-field (UHF) superconducting magnet technology, such as for the Synergetic Extreme Condition User Facility in Beijing, the UHF nuclear magnetic resonance/magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear fusion energy, particle accelerator, and so on. This paper reports the research status of UHF superconducting magnets in China from different perspectives, including design options, technical features, experimental progress, opportunities, and challenges.