Low Cost Open MRI Systems using MgB2 Coils

描述（由申请人提供）： 该项目旨在展示超导开放式MRI系统，该系统具有更高的性能，0.5T及更大，比0.4T永磁MRI系统成本更低。这些低成本系统的开发将使MRI系统在医疗行业得到更广泛的应用。更高性能和更低成本的目标将通过使用具有更高工作温度（20-30 K）和低制造成本的超导体来实现。20-30 K的操作温度将允许使用非常简单的低成本低温恒温器和低温冷却器，相比之下，4K系统使用具有氦气或低温冷却器的复杂低温恒温器。由于使用了2001年1月刚刚发现的一种新型超导体化合物，超导导线的成本将是低成本的。新的化合物是二硼化镁。20 K下的二硼化镁可以制成超导线材，其成本可以低于4 K下的常规铌钛超导线材，以及20 K下的陶瓷BSCCO带和YBCO HTS涂覆的超导体的未来预计成本。 在第一阶段，我们将证明，二硼化镁超导导线可以制成线圈的MRI，在第二阶段，全尺寸的MRI线圈可以制造和评估现有的MRI测试床，已经建成的牛津和西门子。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project is to demonstrate superconducting open MRI systems that are higher performance, 0.5T and greater, that is lower cost than 0.4T permanent magnet MRI systems. The development of these lower cost systems will enable MRI systems to be more widely used in the health industry. The objectives of higher performance and lower costs, will be achieved through using superconductors that have higher operating temperatures, 20-30 K, and low manufacturing costs. The 20-30 K operating temperature will allow very simple low cost cryostats and cryocoolers to be used, compared to 4K systems using complicated cryostats with Helium or cryocoolers. The superconductor wire cost will be low cost due to the use of a new type of superconductor compound that was just discovered in January 2001. The new compound is magnesium diboride. Magnesium diboride at 20 K can be made into a superconductor wire that can be lower cost than conventional Niobium Titanium superconductor wires at 4 K, and the future projected costs for ceramic BSCCO tape and YBCO HTS coated superconductors at 20 K. During the Phase I we will demonstrate that magnesium diboride superconductor wires can be fabricated into coils for MRI, During Phase II full size MRI coils could be fabricated and evaluated in an exsisting MRI test bed that has already been built by Oxford and Siemens.