Thermal conductance gasket for zero boiloff superconducting magnet
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsIn-Hua Xu, Daniel C. Woods, William S. Stogner
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Abstract
A recondensing zero boiloff superconducting magnet assembly utilizing a cryocooler with a compressible indium gasket positioned between the cryocooler and the recondenser and with the gasket containing a plurality of spaced parallel grid wires with interconnecting web segments of a lesser thickness interconnecting the mid sections of ends of adjacent wires to facilitate compression of the gasket to control improved thermal conductivity while minimizing the pressure and forces on the assembly.
Claims13
A zero boiloff liquid helium cooled recondensing superconducting magnet assembly suitable for magnetic resonance imaging comprising:
- a helium pressure vessel to contain a liquid helium reservoir to provide cryogenic temperatures to said magnetic resonance imaging magnet assembly for superconducting operation;
- a recondenser and a cryocooler for cooling said recondenser to recondense helium gas formed in said pressure vessel back to liquid helium;
- a thermal interface between said recondenser and said cryocooler;
- and
- said thermal interface including a deformable gasket and means to selectively press said cryocooler toward said recondenser;
- said gasket including a plurality of spaced grid wires extending across said gasket and connected at their ends by web members spanning the spaces between said wires and having a thickness less than said wires.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.