What typical industrial scenarios rely on niobium and niobium alloys?

High-purity niobium is an essential superconducting raw material used to manufacture superconducting wires for medical MRI instruments and particle accelerators. Chemical factories deploy niobium heat exchangers and distillation equipment to handle hot strong acid media that corrode ordinary metal quickly. Alloyed niobium with small amounts of zirconium gains enhanced high-temperature strength for aerospace engine nozzle components. It is also used as micro-alloy additives to refine grain structures in nickel base superalloys, improving long-term creep resistance of hot-end rotating parts in gas turbines.