Cryogen recondensing superconducting magnet
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorWilliam E. Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A helium cooled superconducting magnet assembly with helium gas recondensing apparatus to return liquid helium to the helium supply in the helium vessel in which the recondensing apparatus positioned within the space between the vacuum vessel and surrounding vacuum vessel in thermal contact with a cryocooler within a fixed cryocooler sleeve in the vacuum vessel with the cryocooler positioned to minimize magnetic disturbances to the magnet assembly magnetic field and the recondenser connected through thin corrugated steel tubing to the helium vessel with the tubing sized to provide thermal and vibration isolation of the helium vessel.
Claims10
A liquid cryogen cooled superconducting magnetic resonance imaging magnet for generating a magnetic imaging field including cryogen gas recondensing apparatus comprising:
- a liquid cryogen vessel to contain a liquid cryogen reservoir to provide cryogenic temperatures to said superconducting magnet assembly for superconducting operation resulting in the formation of cryogen gas;
- a closed vacuum vessel surrounding said cryogen vessel and spaced from said cryogen vessel;
- a cryocooler sleeve assembly extending through said vacuum vessel and selectively positioned in the space between said vacuum vessel and said cryogen vessel, and separating the atmosphere outside said vacuum vessel from the interior of said vacuum vessel;
- a recondenser assembly in thermal contact with the end of said sleeve remote from said atmosphere;
- a cryocooler removably positioned within said sleeve to render said cryogen gas to liquid cryogen for return to said liquid cryogen reservoir;
- said recondenser being connected by tubing to at least one aperture in said liquid cryogen vessel;
- and
- said sleeve being positioned in said space to minimize magnetic interference with said magnetic imaging field.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.