The world's first megawatt-level high-temperature superconducting induction heating device, developed by China, has been put into use in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, China Media Group reported on Sunday. 

Compared with the resistance furnace commonly used in the past, this device can double the energy efficiency conversion rate of induction heating devices, save energy by 50 percent, and reduce carbon emissions by more than half.

This device takes a new technical route, using the movement of metal in a magnetic field to generate eddy currents to heat, said Zhao Zhongxian, academician of the Chinese Academy of Science. 

"I think this is a very good starting point for combining high-tech and traditional industries, which is a very important way for traditional industries' development in the future," he said. 

It used to take at least nine hours to heat an aluminum ingot weighing more than 500 kilograms from 20 degrees Celsius to 403 degrees Celsius, but the process only needs 10 minutes with the device now. 

The device utilizes the characteristics of a superconductor that can achieve a stable zero-resistance superconducting state at a low temperature. It can not only be used for extrusion and forging of non-ferrous metal profiles, such as aluminum and copper, but also for smelting and heat treatment of high-end alloys.