Superconducting magnet system

Abstract: A magnet including spaced-apart first and second pole pieces (54,56) with generally opposing first and second pole faces (58,60). The first pole face has a axis (62) extending generally towards the second pole face and has a surface region (64) which includes a contoured surface. Points on the surface region located an identical radial distance from the axis are also located a common axial distance along the axis, and a graph of axial distance along the axis versus radial distance from the axis for such points is a curve (66) having a continuous slope with at least two sign reversals. Such contoured pole faces allow for a smoother magnetic field to better reduce axisymmetric magnetic field inhomogeneity.

Description: The present invention relates generally to magnets, and more particularly to reducing axisymmetric magnetic field inhomogeneity in a magnet having opposing pole pieces. Magnets include those having spaced-apart first and second pole pieces with generally opposing first and second pole faces, such as (but not limited to) "C"-shaped magnets. Some magnet applications, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for medical diagnostics, employ superconducting magnets to generate a high strength magnetic field within an imaging volume. The imaging volume must have a low magnetic field inhomogeneity for high quality imaging. One known -technique for reducing the magnetic field inhomogeneity within the imaging volume include using shimming rings attached to each pole face to reduce axisymmetric magnetic field inhomogeneity and using shims attached to the shimming rings to reduce 3D (three-dimensional) magnetic field inhomogeneity. Another known technique for reducing inhomogeneity is the use of shaped pole pieces, as shown in EP-A-0,262,880 and US-A-4,943,774. US-A-4 943 774 discloses a superconducting magnet assembly with features summarized in the preamble of present claim 1. The pole pieces described are generally annular, with cross-sections presenting convex or concave features towards the opposing pole pieces. What is needed is a magnet which is designed to better reduce magnetic field inhomogeneity which, in MRI applications, will improve imaging quality. The present invention is as claimed in the claims. The magnet of the invention includes spaced-apart first and second pole pieces including generally opposing first and second pole faces. The first pole face has an axis extending generally towards the second pole face and has a surface region, wherein points on the surface region located an identical radial distance from the axis are also located a common axial distance along the axis, and wherein a graph of axial distance along the axis versus radial distance from the axis for such points is a curve having a continuous slope with at least two sign reversals. A shim tray is located contiguous to the first pole face. Several benefits and advantages are derived from the invention. With the magnet of the invention, a contoured pole face is provided which allows for a smoother magnetic field to better reduce axisymmetric magnetic field inhomogeneity. The prior-art shimming rings provided coarse shimming using a pole face having a surface region with a "step-function" shape when the pole face is viewed in cutaway from the side of the pole face. The magnet of the invention provides a smoother magnetic field using a pole face having a surface region with a shape of a curve having a continuous slope when viewed in cutaway from the side of the pole face. The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein: Figure 1 is a side-elevational schematic view of a magnet assembly of the invention with the pole pieces of the magnet, and the thermal shield and vacuum enclosure surrounding the superconductive coil, shown in section; and Figure 2 is an enlarged side-elevational schematic view of the area of the pole pieces of the magnet of the invention with the pole pieces shown in section and with the shimming trays and shims removed for clarity. Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the magnet 10 of the present invention. The magnet 10 includes spaced-apart first and second pole pieces 12 and 14 including generally opposing first and second pole faces 16 and 18. Preferably, the magnet 10 includes a "C"-shaped core 20 having two ends 22 and 24 and having a middle portion 26 located generally equidistant from the two ends 22 and 24. In an exemplary embodiment, the first pole piece 12 is attached to one 22 of the two ends 22 and 24 of the core 20, and the second pole piece 14 is attached to the other 24 of the two ends 22 and 24 of the core 20. In some magnet designs the pole pieces are metallurgically fixed to the core while in other magnet designs the pole pieces are connected with removable bolts to the core. Typically, the core 20 and the pole pieces 12 and 14 are each made of a ferromagnetic material, such as iron. In certain magnet applications, such as in MRI medical imaging, a high magnetic field strength is required in the imaging volume 28 (shown in dotted line) located between the two pole faces 16 and 18. Typically, this is achieved by employing a superconductive coil, such as the cryocooler-cooled superconductive coil 30 shown in Figure 1, surrounding the middle portion 26 of the core 20. A thermal shield 32 is spaced apart from and generally surrounds the superconductive coil 30, and a vacuum enclosure 34 is spaced apart from and surrounds the thermal shield 32. A cryocooler coldhead 36 (such as that of a Gifford-McMahon cryocooler) has its first stage 38 in thermal contact with the thermal shield 32 and has its second stage 40 in thermal contact with the superconductive coil 30. For a niobium-tin superconductive coil 30, the second stage 40 would maintain the superconductive coil 30 at a temperature of generally ten Kelvin, and the first stage 38 would maintain the thermal shield 32 at a temperature of generally forty Kelvin. Additional superconductive coils (not shown in the figures) may be needed to achieve a high magnetic field strength without exceeding the critical current density of the superconductor being used in the coils, as is known to those skilled in the art. In certain magnet applications, such as in MRI medical imaging, a low magnetic field inhomogeneity (as well as the previously discussed high magnetic field strength) is required in the imaging volume 28 located between the two pole faces 16 and 18. There is an axisymmetric magnetic field inhomogeneity introduced due to the existence of the pole pieces 12 and 14 themselves. The magnet 10 is designed to reduce such axisymmetric magnetic field inhomogeneity. The first pole face 16 has an axis 42 extending generally towards the second pole face 18. Preferably, the second pole face 18 is generally identical to the first pole face 16, the second pole face 18 has an axis 44 extending generally towards the first pole face 16, and the axis 44 of the second pole face 18 is generally coaxially aligned with the axis 42 of the first pole face 16. Referring now to Figure 2, which shows the configuration of the pole pieces in more detail, the magnet 52 includes spaced-apart first and second pole pieces 54 and 56 including generally opposing first and second pole faces 58 and 60. The first pole face 58 has an axis 62 extending generally towards the second pole face 60. The first pole face 58 has a surface region 64, wherein points on the surface region 64 located an identical radial (i.e., perpendicular) distance from the axis 62 are also located a common axial distance along the axis 62, and wherein a graph of axial distance along the axis 62 versus radial distance from the axis 62 for such points is a curve 66 having a continuous slope with at least two (and preferably at least five) sign reversals. Such graph can be seen as the curve 66 of Figure 5, wherein the axis 62 and a radius (i.e., perpendicular) line 67 (shown as a dashed line) extending from the axis 62 form the axes of the graph. For a prechosen radial (i.e., perpendicular) location from the axis 62, the axial location along the axis 62 for each such point on the surface region 64 is determined so as to minimize the axisymmetric magnetic field inhomogeneity caused by the pole pieces 54 and 56 themselves. It is noted that the contours of the surface region 64 may be made by using conventional numerical control machining techniques. It is seen that the magnet has contoured surface regions 64, which provide a smoother magnetic field to better reduce axisymmetric magnetic field inhomogeneity compared to previously-known shimming ring techniques, as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Applicants designed (but have yet to build) an exemplary embodiment of the magnet using the principles of the present invention, previously disclosed herein, together with conventional magnetic field analysis, as is within the skill of the artisan. The magnet was designed for a 0.3 Tesla imaging volume 28 having the shape of a sphere with a diameter of 10 centimeters. The peak-to-peak axisymmetric magnetic field inhomogeneity was reduced from a calculated value in excess of 10,000 parts per million (ppm) to a calculated value of 8 ppm. It is believed that conventional shimming ring techniques could not reasonably reduce the value to below a calculated value of 100 ppm. Magnet 52 may still be left with a 3D (three-dimensional) magnetic field inhomogeneity due to its "C" shape and due to the location of its superconductive coil 30 which may be corrected for by using shim trays and shims. Typically the shim trays are made of a non-ferromagnetic material, such as fiberglass, and the shims are made of a ferromagnetic material, such as iron. Referring to Figure 1, magnet also includes a generally circular shim tray 68 generally coaxially aligned with the axis 42, attached to the first pole face 16, and having shims 70. The magnet 10 further includes a generally annular shim tray 72 generally coaxially aligned with the axis 42, radially outwardly spaced apart from the circular shim tray 68, attached to the first pole face 16 and having shims 70. The annular shim tray 72 is axially disposed closer to the second pole face 18 than is the circular shim tray 68. This two-tray arrangement recognizes that the surface region of the first pole face 16 will have its radially outermost portion extend axially closer to the second pole face 18 than will its radially innermost portion for proper shaping of the imaging volume 28. The two-tray arrangement therefore allows the shims 70 of the two trays 68 and 72 to be located closer to the surface region for better shimming than would be possible using a single shim tray, as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Preferably, each of the shims 70 of the circular and annular shim trays 68 and 72 of magnet 10 has the shape of generally a trapezoid when viewed facing the first pole face 16. Each trapezoid has a shorter base, a longer base, first and second sides, and a geometric center point. The shorter base is radially disposed closer to the axis 42 than is the longer base. The first and second sides are generally aligned along radius lines. In an exemplary embodiment, the shims 70 of the circular shim tray 68 are arranged so that the geometric center points of their trapezoids are disposed on the circumferences of imaginary concentric circles which are generally coaxially aligned with the axis 42, and the shims 70 of the annular shim tray 72 are arranged so that the geometric center points of their trapezoids are disposed on the circumference of an imaginary circle which is generally coaxially aligned with the axis 42. The combination of the shape and arrangement of the shims 70 provides better shim coverage than that provided by previously-known shimming techniques. The previously described principles of the present invention and conventional magnetic field analysis were used to determine the thickness of a circular shim on the circular shim tray 68 and the thicknesses and locations of the trapezoidal shims on the circumferences of imaginary circles on the circular and annular shim trays 68 and 72, as is within the skill of the artisan. The peak-to-peak 3D (three-dimensional) magnetic field inhomogeneity was reduced from a calculated value of over 3,000 parts per million (ppm) to a calculated value of 23 ppm. It is believed that conventional shimming techniques could not reach this level.

Claims: A superconducting magnet assembly (52) suitable for use in magnetic resonance imaging comprising: spaced-apart first and second pole pieces (54,56) including generally opposing first and second pole faces (58,60), the first pole face having an axis (62) extending towards the second pole face and having a surface region (64), wherein points on the surface region located an identical radial distance from the axis are also located a common axial distance along the axis, characterized in that a graph of axial distance along the axis versus radial distance from the axis for the points is a curve (66) having a continuous slope with at least two signs reversals, and in that a shim tray (68) is attached to the first pole face (58) wherein the shim tray (68) is circular and coaxially aligned with said axis. The magnet assembly of claim 1, also including an annular shim tray (72) coaxially aligned with said axis, radially outwardly spaced apart from said circular shim tray, attached to said first pole face, and having shims (70), and wherein said annular shim tray (72) is axially disposed closer to said second pole face (18) than is said circular shim tray (68). The magnet assembly of claim 2, wherein each of said shims has a trapezoid shape when viewed facing said first pole face, said trapezoid having a shorter base, a longer base, and first and second sides, wherein said shorter base is radially disposed closer to said axis than is said longer base, wherein said first side is generally aligned along a radius line drawn from said axis to said first side, and wherein said second side is aligned along a radius line drawn from said axis to said second side. The magnet assembly of any one of claims I to 3, wherein said curve has at least five sign reversals. The magnet assembly of any one of claims 1 to 4, also including a "C"-shaped core (20) having two ends (22,24), and wherein said first pole piece (12) is attached to one (22) of said two ends of said core, said second pole face being identical to said first pole face, said second pole face having an axis extending towards said first pole face, said axis of said second pole face being coaxially aligned with said axis (42) of said first pole face, and said second pole piece (14) being attached to the other (24) of said two ends of said core. The magnet assembly of claim 5, wherein said core has a middle portion (26) located equidistant from said two ends, and also including a cryocooler-cooled superconductive coil (30) surrounding said middle portion of said core. The magnet assembly of claims 5 or 6, the core (20) being ferromagnetic. The magnet assembly of claim 7 as dependent on claim 6 wherein said superconductive coil is a niobium-tin, superconductive coil. The magnet assembly of any one of claims 6 to 8 including a cryocooler (36) in thermal relationship with the superconductive coil to render the coil superconducting. The magnet assembly of claim 11 wherein the cryocooler provides a temperature of approximately 10K° to the superconducting coil. The magnet assembly of Claim 9 or claim 10 wherein the cryocooler includes two stages (38,40); a thermal shield (32) spaced apart from and surrounding the superconducting coil, being thermally connected to the first stage of the cryocooler to maintain the thermal shield at approximately 40K°, the second stage (40) being arranged between the thermal shield (32) and the superconductive coil (30) and maintaining the superconductive coil of a temperature of approximately 10K.

Inventors: DORRI BIZHAN, LASKARIS EVANGELOS TRIFON, OGLE MICHELE DOLLAR, XU BU-XIN, DORRI, BIZHAN, LASKARIS, EVANGELOS TRIFON, OGLE, MICHELE DOLLAR, XU, BU-XIN
Applicants: GEN ELECTRIC, GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Application year: 1995
Main classification: G01R33
IPC codes: G01R33, H01F6