• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.44-48
• /
• 2021

In order to obtain ultra-high resolution MRI images, research and development of 11 T or higher superconducting magnets have been actively conducted in the world, recently. The high-temperature superconductor (HTS), first discovered in 1986, was very limited in industrial application until mid-2010, despite its high critical current characteristics in the high magnetic field compared to the low-temperature superconductor. This is because HTS magnets were unable to operate stably due to the thermal damage when a quench occurred. With the introduction of no-insulation (NI) HTS magnet winding technology that does not burn electrically, it could be expected that the HTS magnets are dramatically reduced in weight, volume, and cost. In this paper, a 6 T-class NI HTS magnet for basic characteristic analysis was designed, and a distributed equivalent circuit model of the NI coils was configured to analyze the charging current characteristics caused by excitation current, and the charge delay phenomenon and loss were predicted through the development of a simulation model. Additionally, the critical current of the NI HTS magnets was estimated, considering the magnetic field, its angle and temperature with a given current. The loss due to charging delay characteristics was analyzed and the result was shown. It is meaningful to obtain detailed operation technology to secure a stable operation protocol for a 6T NI HTS magnet which is actually manufactured.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
• /
• 1995.07a
• /
• pp.137-140
• /
• 1995

This paper describes the test results of magnetic field distributions of superconducting MRI magnet in an insert dewar. To get a very high homogeneous magnetic field, various shim coils are installed besides the main magnet. The operating currents of each shim coils are obtained from the exact measurements of the magnetic field. In this paper, we report the test results of the magnetic field distribution measurements with various shim coils.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.53 no.2
• /
• pp.89-95
• /
• 2013

Objective : Similar to back pain, neck pain has recently shown to have increasing prevalence. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is useful in identifying the causes of neck pain. However, MRI shows not only pathological lesions but also physiological changes at the same time, and there are few Korean data. The authors have attempted to analyze the prevalence of disc degeneration in highly selective asymptomatic Korean subjects using MRI. Methods : We performed 3 T MRI sagittal scans from C2 to T1 on 102 asymptomatic subjects (50 men and 52 women) who visited our hospital between the ages of 14 and 82 years (mean age 46.3 years). All images were read independently by three observers (two neurosurgeons and one neuroradiologist) who were not given any information about the subjects. We classified grading for cervical disc herniation (HN), annular fissure (AF), and nucleus degeneration (ND), using disc degeneration classification. Results : The prevalence of HN, AF, and ND were 81.0%, 85.9%, and 95.4%, respectively. High prevalence of HN, AF, and ND was shown compared to previous literature. Conclusion : In asymptomatic Korean subjects, the abnormal findings of 3 T MRI showed a high prevalence in HN, AF, and ND. Several factors might play important roles in these results, such as population-specific characters, MRI field strength, and disc degeneration grading system.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
• /
• 2002.09a
• /
• pp.48-49
• /
• 2002

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
• /
• 2005.09a
• /
• pp.12-12
• /
• 2005

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.12-16
• /
• 2020

As high homogeneity in magnetic field is required to increase the resolution of MRI magnets, various shimming methods have been researched. Using one of them, the design of the superconducting active zonal shim coil for MRI magnets is discussed in this paper. The magnetic field of the MRI magnet is expressed as the sum of spherical harmonic terms, and the optimized current density of shim coils capable of removing higher-order terms is calculated by the Tikhonov regularization method. To investigate all potential designs derived from calculated current density, 4 sweeping parameters are selected: (1) axial length of shim coil zone; (2) radius of shim coils; (3) exact axial position of shim coils; and (4) operating current. After adequate designs are determined with constraints of critical current margin and homogeneity criterion, the total wire length required for each is calculated and the design with a minimum of them is chosen. Using the superconducting wire length of 9.77 km, the field homogeneity over 50 cm DSV is improved from 24 ppm to 1.87 ppm in the case study for 9.4 T whole-body MRI shimming. Finally, the results are compared with the finite element method (FEM) simulation results to validate the feasibility and accuracy of the design.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
• /
• 1998.10a
• /
• pp.569-574
• /
• 1998

This paper presents a two-paralleled 4 quadrant DC chopper type PWM power conversion circuit in order to generate a gradient magnetic field in the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system. This power amplifier is connected in parallel with the conventional 4-quadrant DC chopper using IGBTs at their inputs/outputs to realize further high-power density, high speed current tracking control, and to get a low switching ripple amplitude in a controlled current in the Gradient Coils (GCs). Moreover, the power conversion circuit has to realize quick rise/fall response characteristics in proportion to various target currents in GCs. It is proposed in this paper that a unique control scheme can achieve the above objective. DSP-based control systems realize a high control facility and accuracy. It is proved that the new control system will greatly enlarge the diagnostic target and improve the image quality of MRI.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
• /
• v.23 no.11
• /
• pp.22-27
• /
• 2009

This paper presents a two-paralleled four quadrant DC chopper type PWM power conversion circuit in order to generate a gradient magnetic field in the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system. This circuit has 8-IGBTs at their inputs/outputs to realize further high-power density, high speed current tracking control, and to get a low switching ripple amplitude in a controlled current in the Gradient Coils (GCs). Moreover, the power conversion circuit has to realize quick rise/fall response characteristics in proportion to various target currents in GCs. It is proposed in this paper that a unique control scheme can achieve the above objective DSP-based control system realize a high control facility and accuracy. It is proved that the new control system will greatly enlarge the diagnostic target and improve the image quality of MRI.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.11 no.12
• /
• pp.4891-4895
• /
• 2010

RF coil is an important component of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system and the performance of RF coil is one of major factors for high SNR images. Sensitivity and RF field uniformity are parameters for evaluating RF coil performance. Since the B1 field is induced by RF coil, MR signal is strongly affected by RF coil structure and arrangement. In receiving MR signal, the RF coil sensitivity to MR Signal is also determined by the induced B1 field of RF coil. Therefore, the spatial distribution of B1 field must be verified. In this work, we performed computer simulation of the basic RF coil structures using Matlab and verified their sensitivity and uniformity through their B1 field distribution. This work will be useful for the advanced multi-channel RF coil design.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
• /
• v.11 no.6
• /
• pp.976-983
• /
• 2000

In this paper, Bridcage type RF coils used widely as RF coils for MRI and its applicable type, spiral type RF coil are analyzed and designed using FDTD method. In low tesla (IT, 1.5T) MRI system, several tools have been used for the analysis and design of the RF coils for MRI. This includes, so-called, LC equivalent circuit method for predicting the resonance frequency of the coil and the Biot-Savart law to determine the field distribution within the coil. Both of the circuit analysis and Biot-Savart law are low frequency techniques. Therefore, at high frequency applications, the circuit model approximation breaks down because the coil geometry is a significant fraction of the wavelength. In this paper, we analyzed and designed RF coils for 3T MRI using FDTD method. This method is a full wave analysis and very accurate at low and high frequencies. Also, this RF coils are actually fabricated and FDTD models of RF coils for MRI are proven.