Patent ID: 9594132
Date: 2017-03-14
CPC Classifications: G01R

Claim:
1. A magnetic resonance imaging system comprising: a set of magnetic field gradient coils; a gradient coil power supply for supplying the set of magnetic field gradient coils with electrical current; a chiller having the function to chill coolant in a coolant reservoir a processor having the function to control the chiller; wherein the chiller is adapted for providing the coolant at least to the set of magnetic field gradient coils, wherein the chiller is adapted for receiving chiller control signals from the processor and the chiller is controlled by way of the chiller control signals; a memory for storing machine executable instructions, wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to: receive a pulse sequence; generate the chiller control signals using the pulse sequence and a chiller thermal model of the gradient coils and the coolant reservoir, wherein the processor derives from the pulse sequence which gradient pulses are included in the pulse sequence and employs the thermal model to estimate the temperature of the magnetic field gradient coils during operation of the pulse sequence, the processor derives on the basis of the estimated temperature the chiller control signals so as to reduce the temperature of the magnetic field gradient coils before the pulse sequence is applied, wherein the chiller control signals cause the chiller to halt chilling the coolant independently of the temperature of the gradient coils and for at least a portion of the time when the gradient coil power supply supplies current to the set of magnetic field gradient coils wherein the coolant reservoir provides for a thermal reservoir which is used to chill the set of magnetic field gradients coils when the chilling of the coolant is halted, and wherein the chiller control signals are adapted to reduce the peak electrical power consumption by the magnetic resonance imaging system; and send the chiller control signals to the chiller.