Superconducting Magnets consist of electromagnets made from coils of supercondcuting wire. They must be cooled to cryogenic temperatures during operation. The wire can conduct very high electric currents when in its superconducting state, much higher than ordinary wires, generating an intense magnetic field.

Superconducting  magnets are used in NMR spectrometers, mass spectrometers, particle accelerators and MRI  scanners.

Superconducting magnets pose unique safety concerns including cryogen safety, strong magnetic fields, and the potential to create an oxygen deficient atmosphere. The most serious hazards exists during the magnet start-up. Once the magnetic fields have been established and are operational the hazards are low as long as operators and personnel understand the proximity limits and procedures to follow when approaching the magnet.

The NMR system uses a static magnetic field to align nuclear spins in the magnetic field to maximize the NMR signal. NMR spectroscopy exploits the magnetic properties of atomic nuclei to obtain information about the structure, dynamics and chemical environment of molecules.

NMR systems consist of superconducting magnets which produce core fields from 0.15 T to 20 T. These fields decrease in intensity with the increase of the core distance. NMR systems in research are more powerful than medical devices, but their fields are characterized by having a smaller volume, being more focused, and falling off quickly, making personnel protection an easy provision.

In Radiology the MRI technique is used to generate images of organs in the body for diagnostic purposes. MRI scanners employ large, powerful magnets which produce strong magnetic fields.  Patients are placed inside an MRI machine for medical procedures. The magnetic field temporarily forces protons in the body to align with the field. When a radiofrequency current is pulsed through a patient, the protons are stimulated, and spin out of equilibrium, straining against the pull of the magnetic field. When the radiofrequency field is turned off, the MRI sensors are able to detect the energy released as the protons realign with the magnetic field. Faint signals are produced in this process and are used to create cross-sectional MRI images. The radio waves are used to send signals to the body and receive signal from the body in return. The signals are converted into images by computer software. 

Clinical magnets are superconducting magnets and require liquid helium cooling. The MRI magnetic field strength ranges from 0.15 T to 4 T. Superconducting magnets at 1.5 T and above allow functional brain imaging and MR spectroscopy with improved time and spatial resolution. Such magnets have additional challenges from radiofrequency (RF) heating of the subject.