Accelerate improvements in MgB2 superconductor wire for new cryogen-free low cost

加速 MgB2 超导线材的改进，实现新型无制冷剂低成本

• 批准号: 7925211
• 负责人: Michael J Tomsic
• 金额: $ 299.95万
• 依托单位: HYPER TECH RESEARCH, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-04-01 至 2013-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7925211
• 关键词: Air; Area; Bathing; Businesses; Cardiac; Communities; Computer Systems Development; Contracts; Cost Savings; Country; Development; Diagnosis; Economics; Engineering; Ensure; Fostering; Funding; Furuncles; Grant; Health Care Costs; Helium; Hospitals; Image; Industry; Length; Life Cycle Stages; Liquid substance; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Maintenance; Manufacturer Name; Marketing; Medical; Neurologic; Ohio; Patients; Performance; Phase; Price; Production; Program Development; Property; Resolution; Resort; Running; Rural; Sales; Savings; Shipping; Ships; Site; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Stimulus; System; Technology; Time; Translating; United States National Institutes of Health; Work; base; commercialization; cost; cryostat; density; improved; magnesium boride (MgB2); meetings; pressure; public health relevance

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Over the past several years, the price and life cycle cost of 1.5T and 3.0T MRI systems have been increasing due to a dramatic increase in helium cost, and there is a critical need to avoid further increases. This is particularly troubling to the medical community and patients alike because the high quality images of a 3.0T MRI greatly improve the diagnosis of cardiac and neurological patients. There is an urgent need for a whole-body MRI that is low-cost, has high resolution and which will facilitate expanding the MRI market to include underserved areas domestically and underdeveloped regions of the world. The development of magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductors has been fostered by two NIH SBIR Phase 1 & II grants over the last 4 years. With the magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductor wire successfully developed as described in this proposal, low cost, cryogen-free 1.5T and 3.0T full body MRI system magnets will have an initial price and life cycle cost savings of over several hundred thousand dollars per system, assuming helium prices do not rise, and dramatic more savings if helium increases as predicted. These lower cost liquid cryogen free MRI systems can be sited where replacement helium is scarce while achieving the image quality of 1.5T and 3.0T MRI systems at very much lower cost, and without resorting to the alternative low field permanent magnet MRI systems. This is especially beneficial in countries and rural settings where helium is already over $35/liter and in countries where liquid helium is not available at all. The tasks in this project have the specific aim of doubling the magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductor current density, which places it beyond the minimum required for a 3.0T MRI system. This will assure that the MRI companies move from development to production of MgB2 based 3.0T MRI systems after the completion of this 3-year NIH grant. This would lower the price/performance ratio of the MgB2 wire to be equal to or less than NbTi superconductor wire presently used in MRI systems. The major MRI magnet manufacturers now have multi-million dollar development programs focused on changing their main solenoid coils from liquid helium bath cooling to dry (cryogen free) conduction cooling using magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductor, and they are all working with Hyper Tech concurrent with the proposed NIH BRDG-SPAN grant. This proposed project submitted by a small business with concurrent third party funds will meet the BRDG-SPAN objectives, namely, major improvements in superconductor material technology and wire performance to assure the move to commercialization (move from development systems to production systems) by the major MRI companies. There will be a substantial economic stimulus benefit from reduced prices for MRI's systems, and the medical industry will avoid the increases costs predicted for MRI's due to the impending helium shortages. The MRI systems will have reduced manufacturing and operating cost, and the result will be lower health care costs to the public. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The system price and operating cost of 1.5T and 3.0T MRI systems have been escalating dramatically due to the predicted world shortages of helium, and it will get worse over the coming years. Magnesium diboride superconductor wires can enable low cost, liquid cryogen free, high image quality 1.5T and 3.0T systems that can be sited in under-served areas domestically and underdeveloped regions of the world where helium to presently too expensive to justify a MRI. The medical industry can save several hundreds of thousands of dollars over the product life cycle of each MgB2 MRI system resulting in lower costs for high image quality and lower health care costs to the public.

描述（由申请人提供）：在过去几年中，由于氦气成本的急剧增加，1.5T和3.0T MRI系统的价格和生命周期成本一直在增加，并且迫切需要避免进一步增加。这对医学界和患者来说尤其令人不安，因为3.0T MRI的高质量图像大大提高了心脏和神经系统患者的诊断。迫切需要一种低成本、高分辨率的全身MRI，这将有助于扩大MRI市场，以包括国内服务不足的地区和世界上不发达的地区。二硼化镁（MgB 2）超导体的发展在过去的4年中得到了NIH SBIR第1和第2阶段赠款的支持。随着二硼化镁（MgB 2）超导体线如本提案中所述成功开发，低成本、无冷冻剂的1.5T和3.0T全身MRI系统磁体将具有每个系统超过几十万美元的初始价格和生命周期成本节省，假设氦价格不上涨，并且如果氦如预测那样增加，则节省更多。这些较低成本的无液体冷冻剂的MRI系统可以位于替代氦稀缺的地方，同时以低得多的成本实现1.5T和3.0T MRI系统的图像质量，并且不求助于替代的低场永磁体MRI系统。这在氦已经超过35美元/升的国家和农村环境中以及在根本无法获得液氦的国家中特别有益。该项目中的任务具有将二硼化镁（MgB 2）超导体电流密度加倍的特定目标，这使其超出了3.0T MRI系统所需的最低要求。这将确保MRI公司在完成这项为期3年的NIH资助后，从基于MgB 2的3.0T MRI系统的开发转向生产。这将降低MgB 2线的性价比，使其等于或小于目前在MRI系统中使用的NbTi超导体线。主要的MRI磁体制造商现在有数百万美元的开发计划，重点是将其主要螺线管线圈从液氦浴冷却改为使用二硼化镁（MgB 2）超导体的干式（无冷冻剂）传导冷却，并且他们都与Hyper Tech合作，同时获得NIH BRDG-SPAN资助。这个由一家小型企业提交的项目将满足BRDG-SPAN的目标，即超导材料技术和导线性能的重大改进，以确保主要MRI公司的商业化（从开发系统转移到生产系统）。MRI系统价格的降低将带来巨大的经济刺激效益，医疗行业将避免由于即将到来的氦气短缺而导致的MRI成本增加。MRI系统将降低制造和运营成本，结果将降低公众的医疗保健成本。 公共卫生相关性：由于预计全球氦气短缺，1.5T和3.0T MRI系统的系统价格和运营成本急剧上升，未来几年将变得更糟。二硼化镁超导体线可以实现低成本、无液体制冷剂、高图像质量的1.5T和3.0T系统，其可以位于国内服务不足的地区和世界上氦目前太昂贵而不适合MRI的欠发达地区。医疗行业可以在每个MgB 2 MRI系统的产品生命周期内节省数十万美元，从而降低高图像质量的成本，并降低公众的医疗保健成本。