Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Matthew Voss

Philip Alexander Jonas

Philippe Abel Menteur

Glen George Pfleiderer

Robert Adolph Ackermann

Xianrui Huang

Johannes Adrianus Overweg

Derk Reefman

James Howard Kralick

John Arthur Urbahn

Gerardus Bernardus Jozef Mulder

Alexander Akhmetov

Joshua Kent Hilderbrand

John Urbahn

A superconducting magnet () includes a cryogenic container () containing a superconducting magnet winding (). A sealed electrical feedthrough () passes through the cryogenic container. A contactor () inside the cryogenic container has an actuator () and feedthrough-side and magnet-side electrical terminals (). A high temperature superconductor (HTS) lead () also disposed in the cryogenic container has a first end () electrically connected with the magnet-side electrical terminal of the contactor and a second end () electrically connected to the superconducting magnet winding. A first stage thermal station () thermally connected with the first end of the HTS lead has a temperature (T) lower than the critical temperature (TC,HTS) of the HTS lead. A second stage thermal station () thermally connected with the second end of the HTS lead has a temperature (T) lower than a critical temperature (TC) of the superconducting magnet winding ().

Lead and thermal disconnect for ramping of an MRI or other superconducting magnet

A cooling device () includes a heat exchanger (), a first flow loop () connecting a cold sink () and the heat exchanger, and a second flow loop () connecting a hot sink () and the heat exchanger. A first passive one way valve () disposed on the first flow loop is oriented to allow flow in an allowed direction of flow (F) and to block flow in the opposite direction. A second passive one way valve () disposed on the second flow loop is oriented to allow flow in an allowed direction of flow (F) and to block flow in the opposite direction. The allowed directions of flow produce counter-flow in the heat exchanger. In an illustrative embodiment, the hot sink is comprises a cryogenic magnet coil () and the hot sink is a cold head () and liquid helium tank ().

Passive flow direction biasing of cryogenic thermosiphon

An apparatus includes: a getter material disposed within a vacuum chamber to absorb stray molecules within the vacuum chamber; a thermal mass disposed adjacent the getter material and in thermal communication with the getter material; a cold station disposed within the vacuum chamber above the thermal mass; and a convective cooling loop connected between the thermal mass and the cold station and configured to convectively cool the thermal mass when the cold station is at a lower temperature than the thermal mass, and to thermally isolate the thermal mass from the cold station when the cold station is at a higher temperature than the thermal mass. The thermal mass may be water ice and may be thermally isolated from the walls of vacuum chamber by low loss support links and/or thermal reflective shielding.

System and method for maintaining vacuum in superconducting magnet system in event of loss of cooling

A superconducting magnet system, including a cryostat, and a ride-through system for the superconducting magnet system include: one or more gravity-fed cooling tubes configured to have therein a cryogenic fluid; a first heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the one or more gravity-fed cooling tubes to a cryocooler; a storage device having an input connected to the first heat exchanger and configured to receive and store a boiled-off gas from the first heat exchanger; and a thermal regenerator having an input connected to the output of the storage device.

Superconducting magnet system including thermally efficient ride-through system and method of cooling superconducting magnet system

An apparatus includes: a getter material () disposed within a vacuum chamber () to absorb stray molecules within the vacuum chamber; a thermal mass () disposed adjacent the getter material and in thermal communication with the getter material; a cold station () disposed within the vacuum chamber above the thermal mass; and a convective cooling loop () connected between the thermal mass and the cold station and configured to convectively cool the thermal mass when the cold station is at a lower temperature than the thermal mass, and to thermally isolate the thermal mass from the cold station when the cold station is at a higher temperature than the thermal mass. The thermal mass may be water ice and may be thermally isolated from the walls of vacuum chamber by low loss support links () and/or thermal reflective shielding.

An apparatus includes at least a first electrically conductive coil having at least first and second coil sections which are separated and spaced apart from each other, and a support structure disposed to support the first and second coil sections. The support structure, and an associated method of supporting the electrically conductive coil, maintain relative axial positions of the first and second coil sections to be fixed when the first electrically conductive coil is energized and de-energized, and allow each of the first and second coil sections to expand radially when energized.

Superconducting coil support device and method and apparatus including superconducting coil support device

An apparatus including a persistent current switch of a superconducting material which is electrically superconducting at a superconducting temperature and electrically resistive at a resistive mode temperature which is greater than the superconducting temperature. The apparatus further includes a first heat exchange element; a convective heat dissipation loop thermally coupling the persistent current switch to the first heat exchange element; a second heat exchange element spaced apart from the first heat exchange element; and a thermally conductive link thermally coupling the persistent current switch to the second heat exchange element. The first heat exchange element is disposed above the persistent current switch. The thermally conductive link may have a greater thermal conductivity at the superconducting temperature than at a second temperature which is greater than the superconducting temperature.

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Matthew Voss