Cooling system and gradient coil

Abstract

The utility model relates to magnetic resonance imaging, in particular to a cooling system and a gradient coil. The utility model relates to a cooling unit which is a cooling water pipe which is of a U-shaped water pipe structure. The cooling system comprises a cooling unit and at least two C-shaped connectors, one end of the first C-shaped connector is connected with a water inlet, and a plurality of water inlet connectors are arranged on the first C-shaped connector; one end of the second C-shaped joint is connected with the water outlet, and a plurality of water outlet joints are arranged on the second C-shaped joint; the first C-shaped connector and the second C-shaped connector are connected in parallel through a plurality of cooling units, one end of each cooling unit is connected with a water inlet connector on the first C-shaped connector, and the other end of each cooling unit is connected with a water outlet connector on the second C-shaped connector. Compared with the prior art, the cooling unit, the cooling system and the gradient coil are provided, the heat conduction capacity of the cooling system is guaranteed, the water pipe is not provided with a connector in the gradient coil, and the risk of water leakage is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to magnetic resonance imaging, specifically a cooling system and gradient coil. BACKGROUND

[0002] Modern medical MRI system is composed of main magnet, radio frequency part and gradient part, and the gradient coil is one of the core components of MRI, and mainly realizes frequency coding, phase coding and layer selection in the MRI scanning process.

[0003] The performance of the gradient coil is related to the voltage and current of the work, and the voltage and current that can be applied to the gradient coil are inseparable from the cooling capacity of the gradient coil. The existing traditional gradient coil cooling method is to use a hollow copper tube to wind the Z coil as a cooling channel. In order to reduce the influence of eddy current, the caliber of the Z coil cannot be too large, which affects the heat dissipation effect. Moreover, the arrangement of the Z coil is subject to electromagnetic design constraints, and the position of the coil needs to be strictly controlled and cannot deviate from the position or increase or decrease the number, which increases the manufacturing difficulty. At the same time, the biggest problem of the coil is that it cannot realize water and electricity separation. In order to ensure the safety of the patient, it is necessary to use deionized water, which increases the difficulty and cost of maintenance. Another way is to use a composite material to wind an independent cooling layer, which often uses the form of several water pipes in parallel. This cooling method is patent ZL201420289868.3 "active shielding gradient coil structure", which proposes a winding method based on multiple composite material water pipes, and the structure of the inner and outer cooling water pipes are connected in series. However, this design does not consider the influence of the structure on the flow resistance, the influence on the refrigeration efficiency and the many process difficulties in the manufacturing process.

[0004] The patent "cooling system for magnetic resonance system and its manufacturing method" (application number CN202310197524.3) uses the method of multiple water pipes bending along the axial direction multiple times and arranging in a serpentine shape to form a cooling system. This method improves the flow rate to a certain extent, but the multiple pipe parallel method of each cooling unit forms a strip-shaped temperature zone on the gradient coil, and uses more waterway manifolds and refrigerators, which is complex in structure and increases the difficulty and cost of using the gradient coil. SUMMARY

[0005] The utility model overcomes the shortage of prior art, provides a kind of cooling system and gradient coil, improve the heat conduction capacity of cooling system and the temperature uniformity of gradient coil, it is favorable for gradient coil to work at higher voltage and current, improve the performance of gradient coil, improve gradient intensity and switching rate.

[0006] To achieve the above object, a cooling system and gradient coil are designed, the cooling unit is a cooling water pipe, and the cooling water pipe is a U-shaped water pipe structure.

[0007] The cooling unit is made of composite material or copper material.

[0008] A cooling system comprises cooling units, C-shaped joints, at least two C-shaped joints, one end of a first C-shaped joint is connected to a water inlet, and a plurality of water inlet joints are arranged on the first C-shaped joint; one end of a second C-shaped joint is connected to a water outlet, and a plurality of water outlet joints are arranged on the second C-shaped joint; the first C-shaped joint and the second C-shaped joint are connected in parallel through a plurality of cooling units, one end of the cooling unit is connected to the water inlet joint on the first C-shaped joint, and the other end of the cooling unit is connected to the water outlet joint on the second C-shaped joint.

[0009] The first C-shaped joint and the second C-shaped joint are arranged adjacently in an up-down direction.

[0010] The diameter of the first C-shaped joint is less than or equal to the diameter of the second C-shaped joint.

[0011] The C-shaped joint is made of composite material or copper material.

[0012] A gradient coil comprises a cooling unit, a cooling system, a coil part, and a shim part, the outer side of the shim part is wrapped with the cooling part, the cooling part comprises a shielding cooling part and a main cooling part, the outer side of the cooling part is wrapped with the coil part, and the coil part comprises a main coil and a shielding coil.

[0013] The inner side of the shim part is the main cooling part and the main coil, and the outer side of the shim part is the shielding cooling part and the shielding coil.

[0014] The shim part is one of active shim, passive shim, and a combination of active shim and passive shim.

[0015] The gradient coil has a cylindrical structure.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the cooling unit, the cooling system and the gradient coil provided by the utility model ensure the heat conduction capacity of the cooling system, and the water pipe has no joint in the gradient coil, so that the risk of water leakage is reduced.

[0017] The gradient coil structure of the utility model takes into account the performance of the gradient coil, and the cooling water pipe is located on both sides of the shim part, so that the temperature stability of the shim part is ensured, and the uniformity of the magnetic field is ensured. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] Figures 1 to 3 It is a cooling unit structure schematic view.

[0019] Figure 4 It is a traditional winding water pipe structure.

[0020] Figure 5 is a schematic view of a C-shaped joint structure.

[0021] Figure 6 is a schematic view of a cooling system structure.

[0022] Figure 7 is a schematic view of a cooling water flow direction.

[0023] Figure 8 is a sectional view of the gradient coil of the utility model.

[0024] Figure 9 is a gradient coil structure arranged in a single layer.

[0025] Figure 10 is a gradient coil structure sharing a cooling unit.

[0026] Figure 11 is a gradient coil structure with independent cooling units.

[0027] Figure 12 is a gradient coil structure with a mixed cooling method.

[0028] Figure 13 is a side view of Figure 12 .

[0029] Figure 14 is a schematic view of a thermal simulation of a traditional wound water pipe gradient coil.

[0030] Figure 15 is a schematic view of a thermal simulation of the utility model.

[0031] Figure 16 is a schematic view of the appearance structure of the utility model.

[0032] Referring to Figure 5 , Figure 6 , 2 is a first C-shaped joint, 2-1 is a water inlet, 2-2 is a water inlet joint, 3 is a second C-shaped joint, 3-1 is a water outlet, and 3-2 is a water outlet joint.

[0033] Referring to Figures 8 to 13 , 4 is a main coil, 5 is a shield coil, 6 is a field-homogenizing part, 7 is a shield cooling part, 8 is a main cooling part, and 9 is an imaging area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The utility model will be further described below with reference to the drawings.

[0035] As Figures 1 to 3 indicated, a cooling unit is provided, and the cooling unit 1 is a cooling water pipe.

[0036] The cooling unit 1 is made of a composite material or copper material.

[0037] Each cooling unit 1 only contains a water pipe, arranged in the axial direction, bent back. The pipe is short, the flow resistance is low, the cooling efficiency is high, the forming difficulty is low, and the manufacturing and application are convenient; the material of the cooling unit 1 can be a composite water pipe or a copper pipe. When using a composite material, only the length of the water pipe needs to be determined, and the actual space is formed manually during assembly. When using a copper pipe, it needs to be pre-formed according to a certain geometric structure.

[0038] As shown in Figures 5 to 7 A cooling system, comprising a cooling unit, a C-shaped joint, the C-shaped joint is provided with at least two, one end of the first C-shaped joint 2 is connected to the water inlet 2-1, and a plurality of water inlet joints 2-2 are arranged on the first C-shaped joint 2; one end of the second C-shaped joint 3 is connected to the water outlet 3-1, and a plurality of water outlet joints 3-2 are arranged on the second C-shaped joint 3; a plurality of cooling units 1 are connected in parallel between the first C-shaped joint 2 and the second C-shaped joint 3, one end of the cooling unit 1 is connected to the water inlet joint 2-2 on the first C-shaped joint 2, and the other end of the cooling unit 1 is connected to the water outlet joint 3-2 on the second C-shaped joint 3.

[0039] The first C-shaped joint 2 and the second C-shaped joint 3 are arranged adjacent to each other in an up-down manner.

[0040] The diameter of the first C-shaped joint 2 is less than or equal to the diameter of the second C-shaped joint 3.

[0041] The C-shaped joint is made of composite material or copper material.

[0042] The C-shaped joint is a circular opening structure and can be made of metal or non-metal, each joint has one water inlet / outlet and a plurality of water pipe joints, the water inlet / outlet is used to connect the system main pipe, and the water pipe joint is used to connect the cooling unit.

[0043] As shown in Figure 8 A gradient coil, comprising a cooling part composed of a cooling unit and a cooling system, a coil part, and a shimming part, the outer side of the shimming part 6 is wrapped with the cooling part, the cooling part comprises a shielding cooling part 7 and a main cooling part 8, the outer side of the cooling part is wrapped with the coil part, and the coil part comprises a main coil 4 and a shielding coil 5.

[0044] The inner side of the shimming part 6 is the main cooling part 8 and the main coil 4, and the outer side of the shimming part 6 is the shielding cooling part 7 and the shielding coil 5.

[0045] The shimming part 6 is one of active shimming, passive shimming, and a combination of active shimming and passive shimming.

[0046] The gradient coil is a cylindrical structure.

[0047] As shown in Figure 9As shown in the figure, the gradient coil structure is composed of a single layer arrangement of cooling units 1, that is, the cooling units 1 are located in the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 and adopt independent water pipes, the cooling bodies are located on the same circumferential surface, the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 are arranged circumferentially by a plurality of cooling units 1, and the water flow directions of adjacent units in the same layer are opposite, so as to ensure the temperature balance of water cooling. Since the inner main coil generates more heat, the number of cooling units of the main coil and the shielding coil needs to be considered comprehensively during design.

[0048] As shown in the figure, the gradient coil structure is composed of a single layer arrangement of cooling units 1, that is, the cooling units 1 are located in the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 and adopt independent water pipes, the cooling bodies are located on the same circumferential surface, the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 are arranged circumferentially by a plurality of cooling units 1, and the water flow directions of adjacent units in the same layer are opposite, so as to ensure the temperature balance of water cooling. Since the inner main coil generates more heat, the number of cooling units of the main coil and the shielding coil needs to be considered comprehensively during design. Figure 10 As shown in the figure, the gradient coil structure is composed of a single layer arrangement of cooling units 1, that is, the cooling units 1 are located in the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 and adopt independent water pipes, the cooling bodies are located on the same circumferential surface, the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 are arranged circumferentially by a plurality of cooling units 1, and the water flow directions of adjacent units in the same layer are opposite, so as to ensure the temperature balance of water cooling. Since the inner main coil generates more heat, the number of cooling units of the main coil and the shielding coil needs to be considered comprehensively during design.

[0049] Figure 11 As shown in the figure, the gradient coil structure is composed of a single layer arrangement of cooling units 1, that is, the cooling units 1 are located in the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 and adopt independent water pipes, the cooling bodies are located on the same circumferential surface, the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 are arranged circumferentially by a plurality of cooling units 1, and the water flow directions of adjacent units in the same layer are opposite, so as to ensure the temperature balance of water cooling. Since the inner main coil generates more heat, the number of cooling units of the main coil and the shielding coil needs to be considered comprehensively during design.

[0050] As shown in the figure, the gradient coil structure is composed of a single layer arrangement of cooling units 1, that is, the cooling units 1 are located in the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 and adopt independent water pipes, the cooling bodies are located on the same circumferential surface, the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 are arranged circumferentially by a plurality of cooling units 1, and the water flow directions of adjacent units in the same layer are opposite, so as to ensure the temperature balance of water cooling. Since the inner main coil generates more heat, the number of cooling units of the main coil and the shielding coil needs to be considered comprehensively during design. Figure 12 Figure 13 As shown in the figure, the gradient coil structure is composed of a single layer arrangement of cooling units 1, that is, the cooling units 1 are located in the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 and adopt independent water pipes, the cooling bodies are located on the same circumferential surface, the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 are arranged circumferentially by a plurality of cooling units 1, and the water flow directions of adjacent units in the same layer are opposite, so as to ensure the temperature balance of water cooling. Since the inner main coil generates more heat, the number of cooling units of the main coil and the shielding coil needs to be considered comprehensively during design.

[0051] As shown in the figure, the gradient coil structure is composed of a single layer arrangement of cooling units 1, that is, the cooling units 1 are located in the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 and adopt independent water pipes, the cooling bodies are located on the same circumferential surface, the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 are arranged circumferentially by a plurality of cooling units 1, and the water flow directions of adjacent units in the same layer are opposite, so as to ensure the temperature balance of water cooling. Since the inner main coil generates more heat, the number of cooling units of the main coil and the shielding coil needs to be considered comprehensively during design. Figure 14

[0052] As shown in the figure, the gradient coil structure is composed of a single layer arrangement of cooling units 1, that is, the cooling units 1 are located in the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 and adopt independent water pipes, the cooling bodies are located on the same circumferential surface, the main cooling part 8 and the shielding cooling part 7 are arranged circumferentially by a plurality of cooling units 1, and the water flow directions of adjacent units in the same layer are opposite, so as to ensure the temperature balance of water cooling. Since the inner main coil generates more heat, the number of cooling units of the main coil and the shielding coil needs to be considered comprehensively during design. Figure 15

[0053] ​​​​In actual production, the gradient coil is a process of layer-by-layer stacking. Each coil is independently manufactured into a module, or multiple coils are assembled into a module in advance. On a center mold, according to the design result of the gradient coil, the modules are precisely assembled according to the relevant spatial positions. The gradient coil of the utility model has one module for each coil. After the assembly of the main coil is completed, the main cooling part, the field uniformity part, the shielding cooling part, the shielding coil and all parts are assembled. After the assembly is completed, the entire gradient coil is impregnated with epoxy resin. The coil and the cooling system are poured into a tightly integrated whole, and the field uniformity part is formed. The final product is as shown in Figure 16 .

[0054] Specifically, in actual application, the entire gradient coil finally has only one water inlet and one water outlet, which is convenient for users to apply. The gradient coil of the utility model uses a U-shaped cooling unit to improve the heat conduction capacity and temperature stability of the cooling system. The field uniformity part is located in the middle of the cooling system, which ensures the stability of the temperature of the field uniformity material, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the magnetic field in the DSV (diameter of spherical volume) of the spatial imaging area.

[0055] The independent cooling system not only meets the heat conduction requirements of the gradient coil, but also completely realizes the water and electricity separation of the gradient coil. Pure water or distilled water can be used as the coolant, and deionized water is not needed, which reduces the dependence of the end user on special materials and reduces the maintenance cost. The field uniformity space is located between the shielding cooling part and the main cooling part, which ensures the stability of the temperature of the iron sheet in the field uniformity part, and further ensures the uniformity of the magnetic field in the DSV of the imaging area.

Claims

1. A cooling system comprising a cooling unit, a C-shaped joint, the cooling unit (1) being a cooling water pipe, the cooling water pipe being a U-shaped water pipe structure, characterized in that: the C-shaped joint is provided with at least two, one end of the first C-shaped joint (2) being connected to a water inlet (2-1), a plurality of water inlet joints (2-2) being arranged on the first C-shaped joint (2); one end of the second C-shaped joint (3) being connected to a water outlet (3-1), a plurality of water outlet joints (3-2) being arranged on the second C-shaped joint (3); the first C-shaped joint (2) and the second C-shaped joint (3) are connected in parallel through a plurality of cooling units (1), and one end of the cooling unit (1) is connected to the water inlet joint (2-2) on the first C-shaped joint (2), and the other end of the cooling unit (1) is connected to the water outlet joint (3-2) on the second C-shaped joint (3).

2. A cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooling unit (1) is made of composite material or copper material.

3. A cooling system according to claim 1, wherein: The first C-shaped joint (2) and the second C-shaped joint (3) are arranged adjacent to each other in an up-down manner.

4. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein: The diameter of the first C-shaped joint (2) is less than or equal to the diameter of the second C-shaped joint (3).

5. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein: The C-shaped joint is made of composite material or copper material.

6. A gradient coil consisting of a cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a coil section, a shim section, characterized in that: The outside of the shim portion (6) is wrapped with a cooling portion, the cooling portion comprising a shielding cooling portion (7) and a main cooling portion (8), the cooling portion being wrapped with a coil portion on the outside, the coil portion comprising a main coil (4) and a shielding coil (5).

7. A gradient coil according to claim 6, wherein: The main cooling portion (8) and the main coil (4) are located on the inside of the shim portion (6), and the shielding cooling portion (7) and the shielding coil (5) are located on the outside of the shim portion (6).

8. A gradient coil according to claim 6, wherein: The shim portion (6) is one of active shim, passive shim, and a combination of active shim and passive shim.

9. A gradient coil according to claim 6, wherein: The gradient coil is in a cylindrical structure.

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