Super-conducting magnets
OwnerJeremy A. Goodinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A super-conducting magnet, particularly suitable for use with an MRI system is provided. The super-conducting magnet includes a closed loop former, a coil winding around the former of a material which is super-conducting at low temperatures, a vacuum vessel containing the former and also of closed loop shape to define a passage through the magnet for receipt of objects to be investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance, electrical connection for the coil winding, a thermal shield within the vacuum vessel and around the former, characterized in that the former is non-electrically conductive and in that refrigeration is provided, operatively connected to the coil winding and the thermal shield, the refrigeration being such that no liquid reservoir for liquid helium or liquid nitrogen is required.
Claims15
A superconducting magnet for use with a magnetic resonance imaging system comprising a non-metallic closed loop former, a coil winding around the former of a material which is superconducting at low temperatures, a vacuum vessel containing the former and also of a closed loop shape to define a passage through the magnet for receipt of objects to be investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance, electrical connections for the coil winding, a thermal shield within the vacuum vessel and around the former, characterised in that refrigeration means (12) are provided, operatively connected to the coil winding (8) and the thermal shield (10), the refrigeration means (12) being such that no liquid reservoir for liquid helium or liquid nitrogen is required.
A superconducting magnet as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the former (4) is supported within the vacuum vessel (6) by tie rods (18) formed of a high strength, low conductivity material, such as titanium, kevlar or glass fibre.
A superconducting magnet as claimed in any preceding claim comprising a super-conducting switch connected across the magnet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.