Abstract
The fields available with conventional electromagnets are limited to 2 Tesla by the saturation of iron. In addition, the creation of large field volumes is costly in terms of copper, iron and electric power. For these reasons superconducting separator magnets were proposed as early as 1970. This paper deals with the special requirements of cryomagnets in the mineral processing industry, and the relatively slow rate of replacement of conventional magnets. Finally, the impact of the new high-temperature superconductors is examined briefly.