Patti, I am not sure how old this is. Just more educational reading for us.
Programs and Capabilities Database
No. 162-001
PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF
FORCE-REDUCED SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNET
CONFIGURATIONS MAY BENEFIT ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS
ps superconducting magnets -- , they're made of coiled wire
cooled to a very low temperature with liquid helium. ($$costly$$)
Keywords: force reduction, superconducting magnet, medical research, Lorentz forces, Lundquist
coil, complex coil geometries, energy storage, magnetic resonance imaging
One way of significantly improving magnet design is to use magnetic fields free of Lorentz forces.
Industry could apply this innovative concept to a new way of manufacturing the large, high-field
magnets that are critical to the development of diverse applications, including superconducting
magnetic energy storage systems. One popular application of superconducting magnets is in magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) technology, which could be one of the leading beneficiaries of
force-reduced magnet designs.
To explore the potential of force-reduction technology, Argonne researchers are investigating new,
high-field, low-specific-weight superconducting magnet designs employing force-free fields. Two
unconventional, force-reduced magnet configurations one of which is a discrete Lundquist coil made
up of six helices were studied by using Argonne's CRAY XMP supercomputer. The calculated force
reduction for the Lundquist coil was about 25%. Argonne scientists expect that further research on
more complex coil geometries will yield even greater force reductions.
With respect to MRI technology, force-reduced superconducting magnet configurations could
decrease the structural weight of superconducting magnets, increase their field strength, and maximize
their bore space, qualities needed for transportable high-field medical and research MRI systems.
To discuss how this capability can improve your business or research needs, contact Industry
Liaison, Industrial Technology Development Center Building 900, Argonne National
Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave., Argonne, IL 60439.
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