Sinuous Quench Duct Layout for Multi-Orientation Cryostats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Superconducting magnets in cryostats are prone to quenching, leading to undesirable heat leakage and potential quenching due to convection currents when the quench duct is not vertically oriented, especially in movable medical equipment setups like gantry-mounted cyclotrons, which can result in excessive boil-off of cryogenic liquids and increased refrigeration costs.
Innovation Solution
A multi-orientation cryostat with a sinuous quench duct that provides at least two differently oriented anti-convection portions, ensuring effective heat insulation and minimizing cooling requirements across various orientations, by maintaining temperature inversion and preventing convection currents regardless of the cryostat's orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the quench duct is made with a large bore to allow rapid escape of expanding gas during quenching, then the safety and reliability of the cryostat is improved, but heat leakage into the cryostat increases causing undesirable warming of the cryogenic liquid
Solution Approach 1:
The quench duct is divided into multiple sections with different orientations. The first portion is oriented to provide anti-convection effect when the cryostat is in the first orientation, and the second portion is oriented to provide anti-convection effect when the cryostat is in the second orientation. This segmentation allows the duct to maintain thermal insulation performance across different operational orientations while preserving the large bore for quench safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The quench duct incorporates adjustable or reconfigurable portions that can change orientation according to the cryostat's operational position. This dynamic adaptation allows the duct to maintain optimal anti-convection orientation regardless of how the cryostat is positioned, thereby minimizing heat leakage while maintaining quench escape capability.
2Loss of energy
If the quench duct is oriented vertically to create temperature inversion and suppress convection, then heat leakage is minimized, but the cryostat cannot be used in different orientations such as when mounted on a movable gantry
Solution Approach 1:
The quench duct is divided into multiple sections with different orientations. The first portion is oriented to provide anti-convection effect when the cryostat is in the first orientation, and the second portion is oriented to provide anti-convection effect when the cryostat is in the second orientation. This segmentation allows the duct to maintain thermal insulation performance across different operational orientations while preserving the large bore for quench safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The quench duct is designed to perform the anti-convection function in multiple orientations simultaneously through its sinuous configuration. Different portions of the duct serve as the functional anti-convection section depending on which orientation the cryostat assumes, making the duct universal across different operational positions.
3Reliability
If a separate quench duct is provided distinct from fill and vent tubes, then quench safety is improved, but the device complexity and refrigeration requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The quench duct is integrated with the existing cryostat structure and shares space with other components. The sinuous configuration allows the quench duct to be incorporated into the cryostat's existing thermal and structural framework, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining distinct quench escape functionality.
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 sinuous quench duct design effectively prevents heat leakage and reduces the risk of quenching across multiple orientations, maintaining cryogenic liquid stability and minimizing refrigeration needs, thus enhancing the operational reliability and efficiency of superconducting magnet systems in diverse setups.
Implementation Method 1
This creates a temperature inversion in the quench duct which suppresses convection. Thus a conventional quench duct has an anti-convection portion which will function when correctly orientated and in use, by virtue of the temperature inversion.
Implementation Method 2
This creates a temperature inversion in the quench duct which suppresses convection
Implementation Method 3
Cryostats are provided for maintaining superconducting magnets at superconducting temperatures. Superconducting magnets are generally required to be maintained at a 'low temperature' in order to maintain their superconducting properties.
Implementation Method 4
The heat leads to rapid boil off of the cryogenic liquid, which is converted to gas, and expands significantly as it warms (for example 700:1 for liquid helium at 4.2K expanding to become gas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure).
Implementation Method 5
The heat leads to rapid boil off of the cryogenic liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-orientation cryostat 5 for a superconducting magnet 4 for use in a plurality of orientations. The cryostat 5 comprises a vessel 6 for holding cryogenic liquid and, leading away from the vessel, a quench duct 7 for allowing escape from the vessel of gas generated by boiling of the cryogenic liquid due to quenching of the magnet. The quench duct 7 is sinuous so as to provide at least to differently orientated anti-convection portions 71, each portion for functioning as an anti-convection portion with the cryostat in a respective corresponding orientation.