Magnet Apparatus

• US 20140097920A1
• Filed: 10/04/2013
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tesla Engineering Limited
• Original Assignee: Tesla Engineering Limited
• Inventors: Goldie, Frederick Thomas David, Clayton, Patrick Brian
• Granted Patent: US 9,019,054 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 335/216
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 6/00 Superconducting magnets; Superconducting coils magnetic resonance assemblies using superconducting coil systems G01R33/3815
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 6/04 Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 6/06 Coils, e.g. winding, insulating, terminating or casing arrangements therefor

Abstract

A magnet apparatus which comprises a first vacuum chamber, a second vacuum chamber, a first magnet disposed within the first vacuum chamber such that the first magnet can be thermally isolated from the exterior of the first vacuum chamber, and a load connector extending from the first vacuum chamber into the second vacuum chamber so that a load on the first magnet can be transferred to the second vacuum chamber, wherein the load connector is in thermal contact with the first magnet and can be thermally isolated from the exterior of the first vacuum chamber and the exterior of the second vacuum chamber.

Claims

1. A magnet apparatus comprising:

a first vacuum chamber;

a second vacuum chamber;

a first magnet disposed within the first vacuum chamber such that the first magnet can be thermally isolated from the exterior of the first vacuum chamber;

a load connector extending from the first vacuum chamber into the second vacuum chamber so that a load on the first magnet can be transferred to the second vacuum chamber, wherein the load connector is in thermal contact with the first magnet and can be thermally isolated from the exterior of the first vacuum chamber and the exterior of the second vacuum chamber,

wherein the first vacuum chamber comprises a first sealing arrangement through which the load connector extends and the second vacuum chamber comprises a second sealing arrangement through which the load connector extends, and wherein a third vacuum chamber disposed between the first vacuum chamber and the second vacuum chamber is formed between the first and second sealing arrangements and sealed from the first and second vacuum chambers by the first and second sealing arrangements,

wherein the first sealing arrangement comprises a flexible thermally insulating coupling provided between the load connector and an inner wall of the first vacuum chamber, and the second sealing arrangement comprises a flexible thermally insulating coupling provided between the load connector and an inner wall of the second vacuum chamber.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a second magnet, wherein the second magnet is disposed within the second vacuum chamber.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the third vacuum chamber comprises a port for controlling the air pressure.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a radiation shield arranged between the load connector and an inner wall of the third vacuum chamber in order to shield the load connector from thermal radiation emitted by the inner wall of the third vacuum chamber.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the load connector is nested within the radiation shield and the radiation shield is nested within the third vacuum chamber.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a further radiation shield between the first magnet and an inner wall of the first vacuum chamber.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the radiation shield in the third vacuum chamber is thermally coupled to the radiation shield in the first vacuum chamber.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein a first thermally insulating coupling is provided between the load connector and the radiation shield, and a second thermally insulating coupling is provided between the radiation shield and an inner wall of the first vacuum chamber.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of load connectors, wherein the load connectors are circumferentially spaced from one another with respect to the main axis of the first magnet.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first vacuum chamber comprises a mounting that is configured to be assembled to a guide on which the first vacuum chamber can be translated,

wherein the second vacuum chamber comprises a mounting that is configured to be assembled to a guide on which the second vacuum chamber can be translated, wherein the second vacuum chamber can be translated in a different direction to the first vacuum chamber, and

wherein the first and second vacuum chambers can be translated in orthogonal directions.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the load connector comprises a first portion attached to the first magnet and a second portion attached to the second magnet, and wherein the load connector further comprises an alignment component to ensure that the first and second portions are correctly aligned,

12. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising three or more magnets each disposed in a respective vacuum chamber, and wherein a load connector is provided in a vacuum chamber between each pair of adjacent magnets.

13. A magnet apparatus comprising;

a first vacuum chamber;

a second vacuum chamber;

a first magnet disposed within the first vacuum chamber such that the first magnet can be thermally isolated from the exterior of the first vacuum chamber;

a load connector extending from the first vacuum chamber into the second vacuum chamber so that a load on the first magnet can be transferred to the second vacuum chamber, wherein the load connector is in thermal contact with the first magnet and can be thermally isolated from the exterior of the first vacuum chamber and the exterior of the second vacuum chamber,

further comprising a cap for the load connector, wherein the first vacuum chamber comprises a sealing arrangement through which the load connector extends, and wherein the second vacuum chamber is provided between the cap and the sealing arrangement.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a radiation shield provided between the load connector and the cap,

15. A magnet apparatus comprising:

a first vacuum chamber;

a second vacuum chamber;

a first magnet disposed within the first vacuum chamber such that the first magnet can be thermally isolated from the exterior of the first vacuum chamber;

a second magnet disposed within the second vacuum chamber such that the second magnet can be thermally isolated from the exterior of the second vacuum chamber;

a load connector extending from the first vacuum chamber into the second vacuum chamber so that a load on the first magnet can be transferred to the second magnet, wherein, in use, the load connector is in thermal contact with the first and second magnets and can be thermally isolated from the exterior of the first and second vacuum chambers,

wherein the first vacuum chamber comprises a first sealing arrangement through which the load connector extends and the second vacuum chamber comprises a second sealing arrangement through which the load connector extends, and wherein a third vacuum chamber disposed between the first vacuum chamber and the second vacuum chamber is formed between the first and second sealing arrangements and sealed from the first and second vacuum chambers by the first and second sealing arrangements,

wherein the first sealing arrangement comprises a flexible thermally insulating coupling provided between the load connector and an inner wall of the first vacuum chamber and the second sealing arrangement comprises a flexible thermally insulating coupling provided between the load connector and an inner wall of the second vacuum chamber.

16. A magnet apparatus comprising:

a first vacuum chamber;

a second vacuum chamber;

a first magnet disposed within the first vacuum chamber such that the first magnet can be thermally isolated from the exterior of the first vacuum chamber;

a load connector extending from the first vacuum chamber into the second vacuum chamber and being one of attached to the first magnet and mechanically contactable with but not attached to the first magnet, so that a load on the first magnet can be transferred to the second vacuum chamber, wherein the load connector is in thermal contact with the first magnet and can be thermally isolated from the exterior of the first vacuum chamber and the exterior of the second vacuum chamber,

wherein the first vacuum chamber comprises a first sealing arrangement through which the load connector extends and the second vacuum chamber comprises a second sealing arrangement through which the load connector extends, and wherein a third vacuum chamber disposed between the first vacuum chamber and the second vacuum chamber is formed between the first and second sealing arrangements and sealed from the first and second vacuum chambers by the first and second sealing arrangements,

wherein the first sealing arrangement comprises a flexible thermally insulating coupling provided between the load connector and an inner wall of the first vacuum chamber and the second sealing arrangement comprises a flexible thermally insulating coupling provided between the load connector and an inner wall of the second vacuum chamber.