Gradient Coil Unit Dual Cooling Circuits Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Magnetic resonance devices face challenges in generating steep magnetic field gradients required for high-resolution imaging, as these gradients produce significant heat that needs to be efficiently dissipated.
Innovation Solution
A gradient coil unit with two cooling circuits, each comprising a spiral conductor structure with a hollow region for cooling medium flow, is designed to efficiently dissipate heat. The cooling circuits are oriented oppositely and interconnected either disjunctively or in parallel to enhance cooling efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If steep magnetic field gradients are generated to enable high-resolution imaging and faster data capture, then image quality and productivity are improved, but heat generation increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical conductor is divided into two portions (first portion and second portion) that are serially connected. Each portion has its own dedicated cooling circuit with separate cooling ducts, allowing independent cooling control for each segment of the conductor, thereby managing heat distribution more effectively across the gradient coil unit
Solution Approach 2:
Cooling media are introduced as intermediary substances to transfer heat away from the electrical conductor portions. The first cooling medium flows through the first portion while the second cooling medium flows through the second portion, acting as thermal intermediaries that carry heat from the high-power gradient coil to external cooling systems
2Device complexity
If a single cooling circuit is used to simplify the cooling system, then device complexity is reduced, but cooling uniformity and efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into two independent cooling circuits, each dedicated to cooling a specific portion of the electrical conductor. This segmentation ensures that each cooling circuit can be optimized for its specific thermal load, achieving more uniform temperature distribution across the entire gradient coil unit despite the increased system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Each cooling circuit is locally optimized for its specific portion of the conductor. The first cooling circuit is tailored to cool the first portion while the second cooling circuit is tailored to cool the second portion, allowing different cooling strategies and flow rates to be applied locally based on the specific thermal requirements of each conductor segment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The dual cooling circuit design improves cooling efficiency, reduces maximum temperatures, and ensures spatially uniform cooling, thereby minimizing thermal and mechanical stresses within the gradient coil unit.
Implementation Method 1
Generating such steep magnetic field gradients generates particularly large amounts of heat, which have to be dissipated by the gradient coil unit
Implementation Method 2
The first cooling circuit is configured to pass a first cooling medium through the first cooling duct... The second cooling circuit is configured to pass a second cooling medium through the second cooling duct
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a gradient coil unit with a primary coil having at least one spiral conductor structure that is formed by an electrical conductor configured as a hollow conductor with a hollow region, which electrical conductor is subdivisible into two portions serially connected to one another, the electrical conductor is arranged spirally in turns in such a manner that two adjacent turns of the electrical conductor are to be associated with the two portions that differ from one another, and with two cooling circuits, wherein a cooling circuit is in each case provided for cooling a portion.