An Actively Shielded 1.5T MgB$_2$ MRI Magnet Design

Superconducting magnets for MRI are often constructed with NbTi wire cooled below 4.2K using liquid helium. As helium costs have more than tripled in the last decade, there is a need for a cryogen-free conduction-cooled alternative. A key reason for pursuing MgB$_2$ superconductor wire in the design of MRI magnets is its superior critical current compared to NbTi over a temperature range of 10-15K. We present a 1.5T whole body actively shielded main magnet design assuming second-generation multifilament MgB$_2$ wire using an improved functional approach. The design exhibits 4 pairs of primary bundles and 1 pair of shielding bundles with an inner (outer) diameter of 1.1 (1.89)m and a length of 1.54m. The imaging volume is 45cm with a maximum of 9ppm inhomogeneity. The wire dimension is assumed to be 1mm$^2$ and the wire current is 135A. The maximum field on a wire is found to be 4.1T well below the critical field value of approximately 6T at 10K for the second-generation wire. The 5-Gauss footprint for the new magnet is found to be 2.7 (3.7)m in the radial (axial) direction. The maximum hoop stress and axial force on a bundle, respectively, are 82.9MPa and 2680.2kN. Trade-offs for the reduction of any given parameter are analyzed.