General Electric Company

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Mechanical Technology Incorporated

Robert Adolph Ackermann

Evangelos Trifon Laskaris

Kenneth Gordon Herd

Richard Andrew Ranze

Yu Wang

Philippe Abel Menteur

Philip Alexander Jonas

Glen George Pfleiderer

William A Edelstein

Sayed-Amr A El-Hamamsy

Robert Arvin Hedeen

Matthew Voss

John Eric Tkaczyk

Xianrui Huang

James Pellegrino Alexander

Bizhan Dorri

Constantinos Minas

Paul Shadforth Thompson

Nicholas Gerrard Vitale

Albert Eugene Steinbach

Robert Michael Vavrek

David E Dean

Mark Lloyd Miller

Scott Thomas Mansell

Bruce Campbell Amm

John Arthur Urbahn

Kenneth W Lay

John L Walter

Richard Philip Mallozzi

Dewain Anthony Purgill

John Peter Fura

Brian Ernest Baxter Gott

Alexander Akhmetov

Mike James Radziun

Manmohan Dhar

Richard Lawrence Frank

Glen G Pfleiderer

A valve is configured to control a flow of a gas disposed within a convective cooling loop. The valve can be actuated between an open position and a closed position via a magnetic field generated by at least one electrically conductive coil disposed within a cryostat.

Method and device for controlling cooling loop for superconducting magnet system in response to magnetic field

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 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.

Low-loss persistent current switch with heat transfer arrangement

A heat exchanger () includes a thermally conductive cylindrical container (), at least one thermally conductive tube (), a cooling column (), and a cryogen coldhead (). The cooling column and coldhead condense gaseous helium to liquid helium to maintain a reservoir of liquid helium in the thermally conductive cylindrical container (). The at least one thermally conductive tube () coils circumferentially around the container (), and extends to at least one superconducting magnet coil heat exchanger (), and back. The tube forms a selected loop which holds gaseous helium at pressure up about 104 bar (1500 PSI) or room temperature to about 0.75 bar at cryogenic temperatures.

Very efficient heat exchanger for cryogen free MRI magnet

A magnetic resonance magnet assemblyhas a coil formshaped as a hollow cylinder. At least two thermally conductive sheetsare disposed circumferentially around the coil form, separated by a non-electrically conductive region. Thermally conductive tubingaffixed to each thermally conductive sheeting sectionruns circumferentially around the coil form. At least one layer of thermally conductive electrically insulating materialsuch as fiber glass is bonded with a thermally conductive epoxy encapsulant to the thermally conductive sheets. A winding of superconductive wireis bond together and to the electrically insulating materialwith the thermally conductive epoxy encapsulant.

Helium vapor magnetic resonance magnet

A cryogenic system includes a superconducting magnet () in a reservoir of liquid helium (LH). Helium vapor (VH) rises and contacts a recondenser surface (&#x2033;) on which the helium vapor (VH) condenses into liquid helium and flows by gravity off a lower edge of the recondenser surface. A plurality of fins () extend from the recondenser surface or a plurality of grooves (&#x2033;) are cut into the recondenser surface to disrupt the film thickness and to provide a path by which droplets of the liquid helium leave the recondenser surface without travelling a full vertical length of the recondenser ().

Horizontal finned heat exchanger for cryogenic recondensing refrigeration

When cooling a superconducting magnet for use in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device, a two-stage cryocooler () employs a first stage cooler () to cool a working gas (e.g., Helium, Hydrogen, etc.) to approximately 25 K. The working gas moves through a tubing system by convection until the magnet () is at approximately 25K. Once the magnet () reaches 25 K, gas flow stops, and a second stage cooler () cools the magnet () further, to about 4 K.

Tubular thermal switch for the cryo-free magnet

A method for calculating a mass flow rate of a cryogenic fluid within a flow tube includes positioning a sensor within a stream of cryogenic fluid flowing through the flow tube. The sensor is operatively coupled to a strain gauge. A difference between a dynamic pressure in the fluid stream and a static pressure in the fluid stream is measured and the mass flow rate of the cryogenic fluid within the flow tube is calculated.

Method and apparatus for measuring cryogenic flow

A cooling system for providing cryogenic cooling fluid to an apparatus comprises a re-circulation device, a passive cold storage device having a porous matrix of material which directly contacts the cryogenic cooling fluid as the cryogenic cooling fluid passes through the passive cold storage device, a first portion of a fluid communication feed line fluidly connecting the re-circulation device to the passive cold storage device, a second portion of a fluid communication feed line fluidly connecting the passive cold storage device to the apparatus for communicating cryogenic cooling fluid to the apparatus, and a fluid communication return line fluidly connecting the apparatus to the re-circulation device. The passive cold storage device may comprise a regenerative heat exchanger including a porous matrix of metal wire mesh, metal spheres or ceramic spheres.

Cryogenic cooling system and method with cold storage device

A superconducting machine includes a superconductive device and a vacuum enclosure containing and thermally insulating the superconductive device. A cold-trap is configured to condense gases generated within the vacuum enclosure, and a coolant circulation system is adapted to force flow of a cryogen to and from the superconductive device and the cold-trap. A cryogenic cooling system is configured to cool the cryogen in the coolant circulation system upstream of the superconductive device. A vacuum retention method, for a high-temperature superconductive HTS device, includes applying vacuum to the HTS device to thermally insulate the HTS device, condensing gases generated around the HTS device using a cold-trap, flowing a cryogen to and from the HTS device, and flowing the cryogen to and from the cold-trap.

Vacuum retention method and superconducting machine with vacuum retention

A cooling fluid system is disclosed for providing cryogenic cooling fluid to a high temperature super-conducting machine, wherein said system includes a main cooling system ( ) and a second cooling system, said second cooling system comprising a storage device having a first cryogenic fluid; at least one cooling coupling in fluid communication with the first cryogenic fluid from the storage device and a second cryogenic fluid flowing through the main cooling system.

Cryongenic cooling refrigeration system and method having open-loop short term cooling for a superconducting machine

A cooling fluid system is disclosed for providing cryogenic cooling fluid to a high temperature super-conducting rotor comprising: a re-circulation compressor; a storage tank having a second cryogenic fluid; an inlet line connecting the re-circulation compressor to the storage tank and to the rotor, and forming a passage for cooling fluid to pass from the re-circulation compressor through the storage tank and to the apparatus.

Cryogenic cooling refrigeration system for rotor having a high temperature super-conducting field winding and method

A low noise imaging apparatus for producing Magnetic Resonance (MR) images of a subject and for substantially minimizing acoustic noise generated during imaging is provided. The imaging apparatus comprises a magnet assembly, a gradient coil assembly, and a rf coil assembly, wherein at least one of the magnet assembly, the gradient coil assembly and the rf coil assembly are configured to reduce the generation and transmission of acoustic noise.

Low noise MRI scanner

A cryogenic cooling system for use with a superconductive electric machine includes a first set of components arranged in a first circuit and adapted to force flow of a cryogen in the first circuit to and from a superconductive electric machine and being operable in a cooldown mode for cooling the cryogen and thereby the superconductive electric machine to a normal operating temperature, and a second set of components arranged in a second circuit and adapted to force flow of a cryogen in the second circuit to and from the superconductive electric machine and being operable in a normal mode for maintaining the cryogen and thereby the superconductive electric machine at the normal operating temperature.

Growing community of inventors

Schenectady, NY, United States of America

Robert Adolph Ackermann