Design and optimization of liquid helium-free cooling systems for magnetic resonance imaging device using multi-physical modeling
Effective initial cooling is critical in conduction-cooled superconducting magnet systems, especially for medical Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), where traditional reliance on liquid helium poses challenges due to helium resource limitations and high costs. This study introduces a liquid helium-fr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25000218 |
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| author | Changhao Luo Guanhua Liu Yi Deng Zhiqiang Long Meng Lin |
| author_facet | Changhao Luo Guanhua Liu Yi Deng Zhiqiang Long Meng Lin |
| author_sort | Changhao Luo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Effective initial cooling is critical in conduction-cooled superconducting magnet systems, especially for medical Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), where traditional reliance on liquid helium poses challenges due to helium resource limitations and high costs. This study introduces a liquid helium-free MRI cooling system that rapidly cools components below 80 K or 20 K using gaseous refrigerants. A three-dimensional multi-physical model was developed to predict cool-down times for various tube materials and refrigerants, and to evaluate system performance. The cooling process was enhanced by optimizing flow velocity and incorporating copper foam inserts into the gas tubes of the heat exchangers. Increasing flow velocity from 5 m/s to 30 m/s reduced cool-down time by over 40 %, although it caused significant pressure drops, 2.09 kPa for nitrogen and 0.24 kPa for helium. An optimal flow velocity of 20 m/s was determined, balancing cooling efficiency with manageable pressure drops. Additionally, using copper foam with lower porosity and larger particle diameter further improved system performance, achieving cool-down times of 164 h for nitrogen and 58 h for helium, with pressure drops of 1.48 kPa and 1.49 kPa, respectively. This optimized design and the developed models offer a robust framework for guiding the design and control of liquid helium-free MRI cooling systems, contributing to the advancement of sustainable and cost-effective MRI technology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bc521c70b7ea49b4ad13c1c304548c89 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2214-157X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-bc521c70b7ea49b4ad13c1c304548c892025-02-02T05:27:23ZengElsevierCase Studies in Thermal Engineering2214-157X2025-02-0166105761Design and optimization of liquid helium-free cooling systems for magnetic resonance imaging device using multi-physical modelingChanghao Luo0Guanhua Liu1Yi Deng2Zhiqiang Long3Meng Lin4Department of Mechanical and Energy, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China; SUSTech Energy Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, ChinaShenzhen Pengcheng Technician College, Shenzhen, 518033, ChinaSiemens Shenzhen Magnetic Resonance Ltd., Shenzhen, 518057, ChinaSiemens Shenzhen Magnetic Resonance Ltd., Shenzhen, 518057, China; Corresponding author.Department of Mechanical and Energy, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China; SUSTech Energy Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Corresponding author. Department of Mechanical and Energy, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.Effective initial cooling is critical in conduction-cooled superconducting magnet systems, especially for medical Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), where traditional reliance on liquid helium poses challenges due to helium resource limitations and high costs. This study introduces a liquid helium-free MRI cooling system that rapidly cools components below 80 K or 20 K using gaseous refrigerants. A three-dimensional multi-physical model was developed to predict cool-down times for various tube materials and refrigerants, and to evaluate system performance. The cooling process was enhanced by optimizing flow velocity and incorporating copper foam inserts into the gas tubes of the heat exchangers. Increasing flow velocity from 5 m/s to 30 m/s reduced cool-down time by over 40 %, although it caused significant pressure drops, 2.09 kPa for nitrogen and 0.24 kPa for helium. An optimal flow velocity of 20 m/s was determined, balancing cooling efficiency with manageable pressure drops. Additionally, using copper foam with lower porosity and larger particle diameter further improved system performance, achieving cool-down times of 164 h for nitrogen and 58 h for helium, with pressure drops of 1.48 kPa and 1.49 kPa, respectively. This optimized design and the developed models offer a robust framework for guiding the design and control of liquid helium-free MRI cooling systems, contributing to the advancement of sustainable and cost-effective MRI technology.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25000218Magnetic resonance imagingLiquid helium-free coolingCopper foamThermal management designMulti-physical modeling |
| spellingShingle | Changhao Luo Guanhua Liu Yi Deng Zhiqiang Long Meng Lin Design and optimization of liquid helium-free cooling systems for magnetic resonance imaging device using multi-physical modeling Case Studies in Thermal Engineering Magnetic resonance imaging Liquid helium-free cooling Copper foam Thermal management design Multi-physical modeling |
| title | Design and optimization of liquid helium-free cooling systems for magnetic resonance imaging device using multi-physical modeling |
| title_full | Design and optimization of liquid helium-free cooling systems for magnetic resonance imaging device using multi-physical modeling |
| title_fullStr | Design and optimization of liquid helium-free cooling systems for magnetic resonance imaging device using multi-physical modeling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design and optimization of liquid helium-free cooling systems for magnetic resonance imaging device using multi-physical modeling |
| title_short | Design and optimization of liquid helium-free cooling systems for magnetic resonance imaging device using multi-physical modeling |
| title_sort | design and optimization of liquid helium free cooling systems for magnetic resonance imaging device using multi physical modeling |
| topic | Magnetic resonance imaging Liquid helium-free cooling Copper foam Thermal management design Multi-physical modeling |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25000218 |
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