Epoch Wires - Demonstrating a process for continuous manufacture of MgB2 superconducting wire

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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique that is able to producehigh-resolution images of the interior of the body. It is most commonly used to exam thebrain, abdomen and the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems, where its ability todistinguish the structure of soft tissues assists in the diagnosis of conditions such as heartdisease, cancer multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.Most MRI systems use superconducting magnets that require supercooling with liquid heliumto operate. The price of helium has more than doubled in the last decade as demand hascontinued to grow. This has led to extremely high running costs for MRI systems.MRI manufacturers are seeking alternative superconducting materials that operate attemperatures above the boiling point of cryogenic liquids such as hydrogen and nitrogen,which are relatively inexpensive and readily available. The most promising alternativesuperconducting material is magnesium diboride (MgB2) because it is superconducting below39 K; therefore it can operate with liquid hydrogen, which has a boiling point of 20 K.However, MRI machines require large quantities (5 - 20 km) of continuous superconductingwire and currently there is no commercially viable manufacturing process to produce MgB2 ata price and quantity to enter the market.Epoch Wires have a patent pending process to manufacture large quantities of continuousMgB2 wire. They need the to develop a prototype system that can demonstrate MgB2 wireproduction at an acceptable price point for the MRI manufacturers.