Research on High Performance Cooling Method and Structure of Magnetic Resonance Gradient Coil

Gradient coil temperature is an important issue in the design and construction of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. Due to the use of resistive materials to drive high current related Ohmic heating, tightly spaced gradient coil windings can cause temperature hotspots within the system and strongly affect the image resolution and coil performance of magnetic resonance imaging. This paper presents a three-dimensional modeling of a gradient coil with a hollow water-cooled structure, and conducts heat transfer simulation analysis of the gradient coil using COMSOL Multiphysics finite element software. Firstly, the point data of the coil winding is obtained using the boundary element flow function method. Then, use Solidworks to create a 3D model. Finally, the three-dimensional model of the gradient coil is imported into COMSOL for multi-physical simulation and analysis, including magnetic field, solid heat transfer, and laminar flow. This article simulates the temperature distribution of gradient coils with hollow water-cooled structures at different flow rates, and compares the results with gradient coils without hollow water-cooled structures. Comparing the heat transfer simulation results of two sets of gradient coils, it was found that the gradient coil with a hollow water-cooled structure has better heat dissipation performance, and the flow rate is positively correlated with the heat dissipation performance of the coil. This has important reference significance for the cooling structure design of practical gradient coils.