Cooling system and method for superconducting magnets
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
F25B-009/00
F25B-019/00
F17C-003/08
출원번호
US-0913802
(2010-10-28)
등록번호
US-8544281
(2013-10-01)
우선권정보
CN-2009 1 0209704 (2009-10-30)
발명자
/ 주소
Zhang, Tao
Huang, Xianrui
Laskaris, Evangelos Trifon
Zhao, Yan
Thompson, Paul St. Mark Shadforth
출원인 / 주소
General Electric Company
대리인 / 주소
Global Patent Operation
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
1인용 특허 :
8
초록▼
A method for cooling a superconducting magnet enclosed in a cryostat includes introducing a gas into a cooling path in the cryostat from an input portion into a cooling path cooled by a refrigerator outside the cryostat. A heat exchanger inside the cryostat above the magnet cools the gas. The cooled
A method for cooling a superconducting magnet enclosed in a cryostat includes introducing a gas into a cooling path in the cryostat from an input portion into a cooling path cooled by a refrigerator outside the cryostat. A heat exchanger inside the cryostat above the magnet cools the gas. The cooled gas flows through a magnet cooling tube contacting the magnet. The cooled gas removes heat from the magnet, and to the heat exchanger to re-cool and return to the superconducting magnet, thereby cooling and/or maintaining the magnet at a superconducting temperature.
대표청구항▼
1. A method for cooling a superconducting magnet enclosed in a cryostat of a magnetic resonance imaging system, the method comprising: introducing a gas into a cooling path in the cryostat from an input portion outside the cryostat;cooling a heat exchanger in the cooling path by a refrigerator outsi
1. A method for cooling a superconducting magnet enclosed in a cryostat of a magnetic resonance imaging system, the method comprising: introducing a gas into a cooling path in the cryostat from an input portion outside the cryostat;cooling a heat exchanger in the cooling path by a refrigerator outside the cryostat,wherein the heat exchanger is disposed within the cryostat,wherein the heat exchanger is positioned above a magnet cooling tube of the cooling path;cooling the gas at the heat exchanger as a cold gas or condensing the gas at the heat exchanger into a liquid cryogen;flowing, using gravity, the cold gas or liquid cryogen from the heat exchanger through at least a connection tube to the magnet cooling tube which is in thermal contact with the superconducting magnet;removing heat from the superconducting magnet by warming the cold gas into warm gas or by boiling the liquid cryogen into boiled-off gas;transmitting the warm gas or boiled-off gas back to the heat exchanger to re-cool the warm vas or re-condense the boiled-off gas for further cooling the superconducting magnet to a superconducting temperature;closing the input portion to make the cooling path as a closed-loop for maintaining the superconducting, magnet below the superconducting temperature;cooling a second heat exchanger disposed within the cryostat and positioned above a liquid cryogen container by the refrigerator outside the cryostat;introducing a second type of gas through a second inlet outside the cryostat, wherein the second type of gas has a higher liquefaction temperature than the said gas;cooling the second type of gas at the second heat exchanger for cooling or condensing the second type of gas into a second type of cold vas or a liquid cryogen;flowing, using gravity, the second type of cold gas or liquid cryogen to the liquid cryogen container through a connection tube between the second heat exchanger and the liquid cryogen container; andremoving heat of the superconducting magnet through a thermal link having one end thermally contacting the liquid cryogen container and another end thermally contacting the superconducting magnet. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the gas introduced into the cooling path is selected from nitrogen, neon, hydrogen, helium, or an combination thereof. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein flowing the cold gas or liquid cryogen from the heat exchanger through at least a portion of a magnet cooling tube comprises flowing the cold gas or liquid cryogen into a first opening of the magnet cooling tube through a first connection tube, and wherein transmitting the warm gas or boiled-off gas back to the heat exchanger comprises transmitting the warm gas or boiled-off gas from a second opening of the magnet cooling tube to the heat exchanger through a second connection tube. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting the warm gas or boiled-off gas from the second opening of the magnet cooling tube to the heat exchanger through said second connection tube comprises transmitting, the warm gas or boiled-off gaseous cryogen from the second opening through the second connection tube and into a cryogen reservoir within the cryostat. 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the cold gas or liquid cryogen flowing from the heat exchanger to the magnet cooling tube and the warm gas or boiled-off gas flowing from the magnet cooling tube to the heat exchanger both flow through a cryogen reservoir. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal link comprises a thermally conductive plate. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said gas is helium, and said second type of gas is selected from nitrogen, neon, hydrogen, or any combination thereof. 8. A cooling system for a superconducting magnet comprising; a first sub-assembly comprising: a first-stage heat exchanger communicating with a first inlet portion through a connection tube;a liquid container communicating with the first-stage heat exchanger through a connection tube;a first type of cryogen in the first sub-assembly; anda thermal link having one end thermally contacting with the liquid container and another end thermally contacting with the superconducting magnet; anda second-subassembly comprising: a second-stage heat exchanger communicating with a second inlet portion through a connection tube;a magnet cooling tube having a cryogen passage and thermally contacting the superconducting magnet, the magnet cooling tube having at least one opening fluidly coupled with the second-stage heat exchanger through connection tubes; anda second type of cryogen flowing through the magnet cooling tube,wherein the first and second cryogens are different;wherein the first-stage heat exchanger is positioned above the liquid container and disposed within a cryostat surrounding the superconducting magnet;wherein the second-stage heat exchanger is disposed within the cryostat and positioned above a magnet cooling tube of a cooling path; andwherein the second cryogen has a liquefaction temperature which is lower than a liquefaction temperature of the first cryogen. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the freezing temperature of the second type of cryogen is lower than the freezing temperature of the first type of cryogen. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the thermal link comprises a thermally conducting plate. 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the first liquid container is located below the first-stage heat exchanger. 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the second-subassembly further comprises a cryogen reservoir fluidly coupled to the second-stage heat exchanger and the cryogen passage of the magnet cooling tube. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first and second openings of the magnet cooling tube is fluidly coupled to the second-stage heat exchanger through the cryogen reservoir. 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the magnet cooling tube comprises a first and a second opening fluidly coupled with the second-stage heat exchanger through connection tubes. 15. The system of claim 14 further comprises a refrigerator thermally coupled to both of the first-stage heat exchanger and the second-stage heat exchanger. 16. The system of claim 8 further comprising a third sub-assembly comprising: a third heat exchanger coupled to a third inlet portion through a connection tube;a third liquid container coupled to the third heat exchanger through, at least one connection tube;a third type of cryogen in the third sub-assembly; anda thermal link having one end thermally coupled to the third liquid container and another end thermally coupled to the superconducting magnet, wherein the third type of cryogen is different from the first and second type of cryogens. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the third heat exchanger thermally contact with the second-stage heat exchanger.
Sarwinski Raymond E. (San Diego CA) Purcell John R. (San Diego CA) Parker Judson W. (Escondido CA) Burnett Sibley C. (San Diego CA), Cryogenic magnet systems.
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