NMR Probe Transport Tube for Automated Rotor Exchange
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current NMR MAS probe heads require removal from the magnet to change rotors, which is time-consuming and poses safety concerns due to induced eddy currents and weight, and existing solutions complicate RF shielding and temperature control with obstructive transport tubes.
Innovation Solution
An NMR MAS probe head design with a transport tube extending inside the shield tube allows for automated rotor changing without removing the probe head, using a closing device that clears and closes the opening transversely to the axis, enabling pneumatic rotor exchange and maintaining RF shielding and temperature control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the probe head is removed from the magnet to change rotors, then the rotor can be replaced manually, but the procedure becomes very time-consuming and requires considerable exertion due to eddy currents and weight
Solution Approach 1:
The transport tube is extracted from the shield tube, allowing the rotor to be transported through the transport tube while the probe head remains in the magnet. This separates the rotor transport function from the shield tube, enabling automated rotor changing without removing the probe head.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport tube acts as an intermediary component between the rotor loading position and the MAS stator. It provides a dedicated pathway for rotor transport through the shield tube using gas pressure, eliminating the need to remove the probe head for rotor changes.
2Extent of automation
If a transport tube is routed through the room temperature bore, then automated rotor transport is enabled, but the structure becomes more complex and RF shielding is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The transport tube is nested inside the shield tube, with the transport tube extending through the interior of the shield tube from the base box to the MAS stator. This nested configuration allows automated rotor transport while maintaining the integrity of the outer shield tube structure and its RF shielding function.
3Ease of operation
If the transport tube passes through the shield tube wall, then rotor transport is enabled, but thermal bridges are created and temperature control is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The transport tube is extracted from the shield tube wall structure and instead extends through the interior space of the shield tube. This removes the transport tube from the thermal path between the room temperature bore and the cryogenically cooled MAS stator, eliminating thermal bridges and preserving temperature control.
4Reliability
If two people are required to remove the probe head, then safety is ensured, but the procedure becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor extraction function is taken out from the probe head removal operation. The transport tube provides a dedicated extraction pathway for rotors while the probe head remains in place, eliminating the need for probe head removal and the associated safety requirements for two-person operation.
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
Enables automated rotor changing within the magnet, simplifying the sample change process, preserving RF shielding, and avoiding thermal bridges, thus reducing the effort and time required for rotor replacement while maintaining precise temperature control.
Implementation Method 1
By means of gas pressure, an MAS rotor can be transported through the transport tube into the MAS stator of the probe head mounted in the magnet
Implementation Method 2
The MAS rotor is made to rotate by gas pressure by means of the vane elements
Implementation Method 3
the closing device can, by means of a movement that is transverse with respect to an axis through the centers of the base bearing and the opening of the front bearing of the MAS stator, clear the opening in a loading state and close it for a measuring state
Data Source
AI summary
An NMR MAS probe head (1) has an MAS stator (7) with a base bearing (8) and a front bearing (75) for receiving a substance to be measured at a measurement position within an MAS rotor. The front bearing has an opening for inserting the MAS rotor into the space between the base bearing and the front bearing. The opening can be closed by a closing device that, in a loading state, opens and, in a measuring state, closes the opening by means of a movement that is transverse with respect to an axis (a) through the centers of the base bearing and the opening of the front bearing of the MAS stator. This enables automated loading and unloading of the MAS rotor in the space between the base bearing and the front bearing inside the MAS stator in a simple way.