Siemens Corporation

Oxford Magnet Technology Limited

Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Russell Peter Gore

Robert Andrew Slade

Simon James Calvert

Marcel Jan Marie Kruip

Hugh Alexander Blakes

Trevor Bryan Husband

Francis John Davies

Graham Gilgrass

A magnet assembly has a number of axially-aligned coils, the radial mid-point of each coil being axially-aligned with a portion of a radial extent of an adjacent coil in the assembly. Compression blocks are provided between adjacent coils at circumferential intervals, to retain the coils in fixed relative positions.

Solenoidal magnets composed of multiple axially aligned coils

In a superconducting magnet apparatus, at least one superconducting winding and an outer vacuum chamber are provided. A thermal radiation shield is located between the superconducting winding and the outer vacuum chamber. A cryogen vessel is positioned within the thermal radiation shield and within the outer vacuum chamber. The superconducting winding is positioned outside of the cryogen vessel. A refrigerator is operable to cool the cryogen vessel to a liquid cryogen temperature and to cool the at least one thermal radiation shield to an intermediate temperature between the liquid cryogen temperature and a temperature of the outer vacuum chamber. A substantial portion of an outer surface of the cryogen vessel has a thermal emissivity at the liquid cryogen temperature which is greater than an average surface emissivity of the superconducting winding by at least 0.1.

Superconducting magnet apparatus with cryogen vessel

A cylindrical magnet assembly has at least one coil mounted on a former, assembled to a bore tube by a number of inserts within holes formed in a material of the former. Each insert can bear on a dished radially outer extremity of a radially-outwardly directed protrusion or each insert can bear on a radially outer concave surface of a radially-inwardly directed protrusion.

Cylindrical magnet assembly assembled to a bore tube by a number of inserts

A hollow cylindrical vessel comprising a cylindrical outer shell () and a cylindrical inner shell () joined by annular end caps (), wherein at least one of: an end cap, or the cylindrical outer shell (), or the cylindrical inner shell (), is provided with an arrangement of recesses or protrusions (). Preferably, the arrangement of recesses or protrusions is asymmetrical in all axes.

Annular enclosure provided with an arrangement of recesses or protrusions to reduce mechanical resonance

An assembly includes a cylindrical magnet assembly, which includes comprises at least one coil mounted on a former. The assembly also includes a bore tube with a number of radially-directed retaining protrusions formed in a material of the bore tube, each of the number of radially-directed retaining protrusions configured to bear against a periphery of a corresponding cavity in the former.

Assembly

A method for progressively introducing current into, or removing current from, a superconducting coil mounted on a former, in which the coil vibrates relative to the former.

Method for progressively introducing current into a superconducting coil mounted on a former

A method for assembling a cylindrical magnet assembly, which includes at least one coil mounted on a former, to a bore tube is provided. The method involves providing a cavity in the former at selected locations. At each of the selected locations, the material of the bore tube is deformed to form a radially-directed protrusion. Each protrusion is brought to bear against a periphery of each corresponding cavity.

Method for assembling a cylindrical magnet assembly to a bore tube

A superconducting annular electromagnet for MRI purposes includes an annular winding within which a generally cylindrical space is provided. The winding includes at least one pair of annular coils, each having an outer cylindrical surface which is suitably formed to define a feature which facilitates fixing.

Superconducting MRI electromagnet

A superconducting annular electro-magnet for MRI purposes includes an annular winding within which a generally cylindrical space is provided. The winding adjacent each end of the space is formed with a chamfer to provide flaring at each end of the space.

Short superconducting annular MRI electro-magnet

A superconducting electromagnet comprising an annular inner helium container vessel within which the windings of an annular magnet are contained, an outer annular vacuum chamber within which the said inner vessel is contained, and a generally annular hollow thermal shield arranged to enclose the inner vessel and disposed between the said vessel and the said chamber in spaced apart relationship so that the longitudinal axes of the said shield and the magnet are substantially co-extensive, an outer wall of the shield being defined by concentric generally cylindrical mutually spaced inner and outer thermal screens, which in combination define a double wall screen, the shield having a double wall only in a region concentric with the longitudinal axis of the magnet.

Electromagnets

A super-conducting electro-magnet for use in an MRI system comprising a helium vessel within which magnet windings are positioned, a vacuum chamber within which the helium vessel is contained, at least one thermal shield positioned between the helium vessel and the vacuum chamber, a service turret having a neck tube which is arranged to extend through the thermal shield within the vacuum chamber so as to communicate with the helium vessel for filling purposes, the thermal shield being thermally coupled to the service turret neck tube by means of a plurality of flexible connector strips fabricated from laminated conductive material which at one end are secured to the thermal shield and which at the other end thereof are secured to the service turret neck tube, sufficient strips being provided substantially to surround the service turret neck tube thereby to provide a substantially continuous thermally conductive junction between the service turret neck tube and the thermal shield.

Growing community of inventors

Abingdon, United Kingdom

Russell Peter Gore