Gradient coil design using Bi-2223 high temperature superconducting tape for magnetic resonance imaging

✍ Scribed by Jing Yuan; G.X. Shen

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 654 KB
• Volume: 29
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1350-4533
• DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2006.05.014

✦ Synopsis

Bi-2223 tape is a low-cost, long-length high temperature superconducting material. The new application of Bi-2223 tape for gradient coils for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is studied in this paper. Because Bi-2223 tape has a much higher critical current density and a much lower power loss than copper, a Bi-2223 high temperature superconductor (HTS) gradient coil shows great advantages in high gradient strengths, long continuous gradient rating, and free of cooling system over a copper gradient coil. The power losses of Bi-2223 tapes at working frequencies of gradient coils are compared to copper. The critical current degradation of tapes is also discussed. A prototype of HTS tape gradient coil is fabricated and its gradient field distributions are measured. Technical issues of resistance, gradient strength, continuous gradient rating, and cryostat are also discussed.