Practical Considerations in the Design and Operation of Superconducting Structures

During the past few years considerable experience has been gained in the operation of prototype superconducting accelerators under beam line conditions. As a result of this experience, important aspects of structure design and important questions related to the long term operation of superconducting structures have been brought into sharper focus. For applications where low power loss and high duty factor, or exceptional beam quality and stable operation, are essential properties, and where modest energy gradients can be tolerated, superconducting structures are distinctly superior to conventional room temperature structures.