Multi-objective optimization of gradient coil for benchtop magnetic resonance imaging system with high-resolution

Significant high magnetic gradient field strength is essential to obtaining high-resolution images in a benchtop mag- netic resonance imaging （BT-MRI） system with permanent magnet. Extending minimum wire spacing and maximum wire width of gradient coils is one of the key solutions to minimize the maximum current density so as to reduce the local heating and generate higher magnetic field gradient strength. However, maximum current density is hard to optimize together with field linearity, stored magnetic energy, and power dissipation by the traditional target field method. In this paper, a new multi-objective method is proposed to optimize the maximum current density, field linearity, stored magnetic energy, and power dissipation in MRI gradient coils. The simulation and experimental results show that the minimum wire spacings are improved by 159% and 62% for the transverse and longitudinal gradient coil respectively. The maximum wire width increases from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm. Maximum gradient field strengths of 157 mT/m and 405 mT/m for transverse and lon- gitudinal coil are achieved, respectively. The experimental results in BT-MRI instrument demonstrate that the MRI images with in-plane resolution of 50 ~tm can be obtained by using the designed coils.     

ITER 超导馈线系统的设计

ITER( 国际热核试验堆) 采用超导馈线系统传输磁体线圈所需电流、冷却液及数据信号, 并在失超等异常情况, 通过馈线转移磁体能量, 以保护整个磁体系统。介绍了国际热核试验堆超导馈线系统的结构及设计情况, 为同类型超导磁体的馈线设计提供了有益的参考。     

Quality of the simulation of torus conditions with different three coil arrangements

The displacement and stress distributions in toroidally arranged circular superconducting coils producing the toroidal field for fusion experiments are computed by a finite element method. The results are compared with the displacement and stress distributions in one superconducting coil which forms part of different arrangements simulating torus conditions. Four arrangements with three coils are discussed; three of them consist of one superconducting coil with an inner coil winding diameter of 0.94 m and a maximum stored magnetic energy of 2.1 MJ, and two copper coils which were designed for experimental tests. The fourth 3-coil arrangement consists of three identical superconducting coils forming a sector of the torus.     

Equivalent magnetic dipole method used to design gradient coil for unilateral magnetic resonance imaging

The conventional magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) equipment cannot measure large volume samples nondestructively in the engineering site for its heavy weight and closed structure. In order to realize the mobile MRI, this study focuses on the design of gradient coil of unilateral magnet. The unilateral MRI system is used to image the local area above the magnet. The current density distribution of the gradient coil cannot be used as a series of superconducting nuclear magnetic resonance gradient coils, because the region of interest(ROI) and the wiring area of the unilateral magnet are both cylindrical side arc surfaces. Therefore, the equivalent magnetic dipole method is used to design the gradient coil, and the algorithm is improved for the special case of the wiring area and the ROI, so the X and Y gradient coils are designed.Finally, a flexible printed circuit board(PCB) is used to fabricate the gradient coil, and the magnetic field distribution of the ROI is measured by a Gauss meter, and the measured results match with the simulation results. The gradient linearities of x and y coils are 2.82% and 3.56%, respectively, less than 5% of the commercial gradient coil requirement.     

Levitation in the field of a nonsuperconducting coil with magnetic flux stabilization

A method providing the “frozen flux” conditions in a nonsuperconducting coil is suggested and demonstrated with a model. The feasibility of permanent magnet stable levitation in the field of the coil with magnetic flux stabilization and mean current control is shown. The method allows researchers to exploit permanent magnet-superconducting body interaction in physical devices, for example, to reproduce, using nonsuperconducting coils, the frozen magnetic flux conditions required for the stable levitation of the magnet over a superconducting body.     

Design of SC solenoid with high homogeneity

A novel kind of SC (superconducting) solenoid coil is designed to satisfy the homogeneity requirement of the magnetic field. In this paper, we first calculate the current density distribution of the solenoid coil section through the linear programming method. Then a traditional solenoid and a nonrectangular section solenoid are designed to produce a central field up to 7 T with a homogeneity to the greatest extent. After comparision of the two solenoid coils designed in magnet field quality, fabrication cost and other aspects, the new design of the nonrectangular section of a solenoid coil can be realized through improving the techniques of framework fabrication and winding. Finally, the outlook and error analysis of this kind of SC magnet coil are also discussed briefly.     

短腔、自屏蔽磁共振成像超导磁体系统的混合优化设计方法

本文提出一种用于短腔、自屏蔽磁共振成像超导磁体系统的混合优化设计方法,通过结合线性规划和非线性优化算法,设计出的磁体系统具有建造成本低、结构简单、以及线圈中最高磁场、电流安全裕度和电磁应力可控等优点.首先,通过线性规划算法在欲布置线圈空间范围内建立二维连续网格划分,搜索满足磁场约束条件的网格电流分布图;其次,将电流分布图中的非零电流簇离散成螺线管线圈,通过非线性优化算法计算出满足成像区域磁场均匀度要求、5 Gs杂散场限制、线圈中最高磁场限制、电流安全裕度以及线圈间尺寸间隔等约束条件的线圈结构参数.文中给出一个中心磁场为1.5T自屏蔽磁共振成像超导磁体系统的设计案例,在50 cm球形成像区域所产生的磁场峰峰值不均匀度为10 ppm,线圈最大长度为1.32 m.该设计方法可用于对称、非对称螺线管线圈系统以及开放式双平面线圈系统的磁共振成像磁体系统设计.     

25T超导磁体优化中线圈数量影响分析

20 T以上强磁场在高场科学工程中有着不可替代的作用. 电工研究所正在研制一个25 T全超导磁体系统, 包括15 T背景磁场和10 T高温超导内插磁体. 在磁体的设计和优化中, 线圈的数量和种类对于最终优化结果十分关键. 为了研究磁体数量和磁体相关参数的关系, 计算了20 组不同的线圈组合下磁体的优化结果. 优化中除了考虑必要的限制条件以外, 还采用了一种结合局部优化算法和全局优化算法的方法. 通过对比分析发现, 线圈数量和磁体造价之间, 存在一个“V”形的关系. 更进一步地, 本文分析了不同超导体在磁体中应该贡献的最佳磁场, 以及背景磁体统一供电给优化结果带来的影响.     

Modeling the static fringe field of superconducting magnets

The resonance frequency-space and the frequency gradient-space relations are evaluated analytically for the static fringe magnetic field of superconducting magnets used in the NMR diffusion measurements. The model takes into account the actual design of the high-homogeneity magnet coil system that consists of the main coil and the cryoshim coils and enables a precise calibration of the on-axis magnetic field gradient and the resonance frequency inside and outside of the superconducting coil.     

高分辨超导NMR谱仪的匀场

本文详细叙述了超导磁体的磁场分布和匀场线圈的设计。并对匀场电源、匀场线圈的精度和稳定性等要求作了估算。     

1.5 T关节磁共振成像超导磁体的设计、制作与测试

磁共振成像(magnetic resonance imaging,MRI)是当今世界上最先进的医学影像技术之一,现阶段MRI技术正朝着成像质量更清晰、功能更强大、效率更高、个体化更强的趋势发展.与全身MRI设备相比,专科型MRI设备具有体积小、重量轻、成本低、病人舒适度高、成像质量高、功能更强等优点.但是关节专用超导MRI系统需要长度方向上被严格限制的超导磁体在160 mm直径球域(diameter sphere volume,DSV)内产生高均匀度的磁场.本文综合考虑了超导线用量、中心磁感应强度和成像区磁场不均匀度等因素,使用0-1规划和遗传算法相结合的方法设计了一种非屏蔽型1.5 T关节MRI超导磁体,该磁体的室温孔径为280 mm,总长度为520 mm,液氦量为30 L,载流区最大磁场为5.48 T,5高斯线范围为径向3.2 m、轴向2.6 m,160 mm DSV的磁场不均匀度设计值为22 ppm,考虑加工误差及冷缩因素,磁体加工完成并经过被动匀场后的预估值为60 ppm.经过绕制、固化、组装、焊接等工序,该磁体已制作完成.经过3次锻炼后成功励磁到1.5 T,经过被动匀场后160 mm DSV的磁场不均匀度达到50 ppm,各项指标均达到设计目标.     

用于超导实验的背场磁体研制

在进行超导材料特性、交流损耗测量等超导实验时,需要为实验提供大小可变、均匀性好的背景磁场。文中对自行研制的背场磁体进行了测试研究,发现选择性对组合铜线圈供电能够提供合适的磁场,满足实验的要求。     

5T有源屏蔽式超导磁体结构设计

介绍了为兰州Penning离子阱项目专门设计的5T有源屏蔽式超导磁体。 为达到物理设计要求的场均匀度, 超导磁体有3层共计6个线包组成。 同时为了确保线圈绕制的定位精度和在强磁场下的稳定性, 绕制骨架采用三筒体结构, 模拟计算表明线圈的绝缘和固定结构能够达到强磁场下的电气和机械性能要求。 对5T有源屏蔽式超导磁体结构设计材料选择以及线圈的绕制工艺进行了详细的论述。 A 5T actively shielded superconducting magnet was designed for Lanzhou Penning Trap project. In order to achieve homogeneity of physical requirements, superconducting magnet was made up of six coils, which were wound on framework of three layers. Meanwhile, three framework structure can ensure the precision of coil winding and the mechanical stability under intense magnetic field. The results of simulation show that the insulation and fixed structure of the coil can satisfy the electrical and mechanical requirements under intense magnetic field. At last, properties of the used materials and coil fabrication have been presented.     

Induced current of high temperature superconducting loops by combination of exciting coil and thermal switch

With its commercialization, the second-generation (2G) high temperature superconducting (HTS) RE—Ba—Cu—O (REBCO, RE is rare earth) tape is extensively applied to the superconducting magnets in the high magnetic fields. However, unlike low temperature superconducting (LTS) magnets, the HTS magnet cannot operate in the persistent current mode (PCM) due to the immature superconducting soldering technique. In this paper, an exciting method for two HTS sub-loops, so-called charging and load loops, is proposed by flux pump consisting of exciting coil and controllable thermal switch. Two HTS sub-loops are made of an REBCO tape with two slits. An exciting coil with iron core is located in one sub-loop and is supplied with a triangular waveform current so that magnetic field is generated in another sub-loop. The influence of magnetic flux on induced current in load loop is presented and verified in experiment at 77 K. The relationship between the induced magnetic flux density and the current on the sub-loops having been calibrated, magnetic flux density, and induced current are obtained. The results show that the HTS sub-loops can be excited by a coil with thermal switch and the induced current increases with magnetic flux of exciting coil increasing, which is promising for persistent current operation mode of HTS magnets.     

Development of a high-temperature superconducting magnet for use in a cryogen-free electron beam ion trap

We present a design and test results of a high-temperature superconducting magnet, which is under development for use in a new cryogen-free electron beam ion trap. The magnet is designed to provide a magnetic field as high as about 3 T with a combination of six double-pancake coils. In order to achieve such a high field, the critical current is increased by cooling the magnet down to 20 K with a refrigerator. Before the full development, a single-pancake coil has been produced and tested.     

开放式自屏蔽全身成像高场超导MRI磁体优化设计

本文发展了开放式自屏蔽全身成像高场超导磁共振成像（MRI）磁体的优化设计方法,使设计出来的磁体仅有4 对超导线圈. 这种开放结构的超导MRI磁体优化设计方法集成了线性规划算法和遗传算法. 通过迭代线性规划算法可以在考虑成像区域（DSV）磁感应强度约束、磁场不均匀度约束、5 Gs线范围约束、线圈区域最大磁场值约束和最大环向应力约束的条件下,获得用线量最少的线圈初始形状和位置,同时可以得到每个线圈的层数和每层匝数;通过遗传算法可以提高DSV区域的磁场不均匀度,以达到高质量成像的要求. 这种集成的优化设计方法既可以灵活有效的设计开放式MRI磁体,也可以设计传统的圆柱形MRI磁体,本文通过一个1.2 T的开放式MRI磁体的设计清楚的展示了这种优化方法. 关键词： 线性规划算法 遗传算法 自屏蔽 开放式超导MRI磁体     

Design of a superconducting magnet for CADS

This paper describes a superconducting magnet system for the China Accelerator Driven System (CADS). The magnetic field is provided by one main, two bucking and four racetrack coils. The main coil produces a central field of up to 7 T and the effective length is more than 140 mm, the two bucking coils can shield most of the fringe field, and the four racetrack superconducting coils produce the steering magnetic field. Its leakage field in the cavity zone is about 5× 10^-5 T when the shielding material Niobium and cryogenic permalloy are used as the Meissner shielding and passive shielding respectively. The quench calculations and protection system are also discussed.     

Levitating states of superconducting rings in the field of a fixed ring with constant current

We consider the possibility of designing a plasma trap with a magnetic system formed by super-conducting rings and coils levitating in the field of a fixed coaxial coil carrying constant current. An analytic dependence of the potential energy of such a system with one or two levitating superconducting rings having trapped preset magnetic fluxes on their coordinates in the uniform gravitational field is obtained in the thin ring approximation. Calculations performed in the Mathcad system show that equilibrium states of such a system exist for certain values of parameters. Levitating states of a single superconducting ring and two superconducting rings in the field of the coil with constant current are observed experimentally in positions corresponding to calculated values.     

托卡马克聚变堆中环向磁场超导线圈的磁弹性弯曲与稳定性

本文针对托卡马克装置中超导载流磁体的磁弹性弯曲与稳定性问题，运用Ｂｉｏｔ－Ｓａｖａｒｔ定律和曲梁弯曲理论，给出了其环向磁场的超导载流线圈结构在自身电流产生的磁力作用下的磁弹性力学模型。所得到的控制方程反映了磁场与线圈变形之间的非线性耦合作用，全面描述了结构的轴向拉伸、绕轴扭转、面内弯曲和面外弯曲等各种变形模式。本文采用半解析半数值方法对控制方程进行了定量求解，获得了有关线圈形变和内力分布的定量结果。通过其面外弯曲变形与外加电流的非线性关系，应用Ｓｏｕｔｈｗｅｌ图，给出了线圈在磁弹性相互作用下发生磁弹性失稳的临界电流值，并讨论了临界电流随环向磁场线圈个数变化的规律     

Asymmetric MRI Magnet Design Using a Hybrid Numerical Method

This paper describes a hybrid numerical method for the design of asymmetric magnetic resonance imaging magnet systems. The problem is formulated as a field synthesis and the desired current density on the surface of a cylinder is first calculated by solving a Fredholm equation of the first kind. Nonlinear optimization methods are then invoked to fit practical magnet coils to the desired current density. The field calculations are performed using a semi-analytical method. A new type of asymmetric magnet is proposed in this work. The asymmetric MRI magnet allows the diameter spherical imaging volume to be positioned close to one end of the magnet. The main advantages of making the magnet asymmetric include the potential to reduce the perception of claustrophobia for the patient, better access to the patient by attending physicians, and the potential for reduced peripheral nerve stimulation due to the gradient coil configuration. The results highlight that the method can be used to obtain an asymmetric MRI magnet structure and a very homogeneous magnetic field over the central imaging volume in clinical systems of approximately 1.2 m in length. Unshielded designs are the focus of this work. This method is flexible and may be applied to magnets of other geometries.