Pulse tube cryocooler system for magnetic resonance superconducting magnets

摘要

A magnetic resonance assembly (20) comprising, a liquid cryogen vessel (24), a liquid cryogen cooled superconducting magnet (22) disposed within the liquid cryogen vessel (24), a closed vacuum vessel (28) surrounding the liquid cryogen vessel (24) and spaced from the liquid cryogen vessel (24), a cooling device (30) fixably attached to the vacuum vessel (28) operable for providing cryogenic temperatures to the superconducting magnet (22), a heat exchanger device (34) in thermal contact with the liquid cryogen vessel (24) operable for heat exchange, and a bus bar (32) in thermal contact with the cooling device (30) and the heat exchanger device (34). The cooling device (30) may be a pulse tube cryocooler capable of providing temperatures of about 4 deg K. A thermal bus bar (32) of high purity aluminum or copper is used to connect and provide a spatial separation of a pulse tube cryocooler (30) and a remote recondensor unit (34), thus reducing the overall height of the magnet assembly (20). <IMAGE>