What You Should Know About An MRI Cold Head

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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AN MRI COLD HEAD
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By Vikki Harmonay
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If youre using an MRI, its important to
understand what an MRI Cold Head does. After all,
its crucial to monitor an MRI Cold Head for
better scanner performance and lower maintenance
costs. The experts at Atlantis Worldwide put
together this information so you can have a
thorough understanding about your MRI Cold Head.
Every MRI has a cooling system that uses
thousands of liters of liquid helium to keep the
MRI magnet cool. When the helium is exposed to
very high temperatures, it turns from liquid to
gas. The Cold Head is located inside the cooling
system in the midst of all the helium. It
actually condenses the helium gas to liquid to
prevent it from burning off entirely.
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The average lifespan of a new Cold Head is 4-5
years and a refurbished one will last 3-4 years.
A Cold Heads performance is measured by its
re-condensing margin. Each MRIs console should
provide the metrics for this number. As a rule,
Cold Heads lose approximately 10 of its cooling
capacity every year. When the margin approaches
zero, its time to replace the Cold Head. If its
not replaced, it can lead to a magnet quench,
which can put your MRI scanner out of commission
and cost a great deal to repair.
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• MRI Cold Heads Issues and Solutions

Fluctuating or dropping re-condensing margin Is
your compressor still working and your
re-condensing margin is dropping or fluctuating?
If so, your cold head is likely the problem and
the level of your helium loss could increase. The
sooner you address the issue the better. The
longer you wait, the more it will cost as helium
will begin burning off at an increasing rate.
Replace your cold head as soon as you can to
reduce risk/cost. Contamination If there are
impurities in your helium or migration of the oil
inside your systems compressor into your cold
head, it can cause damage or reduce the cold
heads efficiency.
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These contamination issues emerge gradually but
can cause serious issues. By replacing your
systems adsorber on an annual basis, you can
reduce the likelihood of oil moving from your
compressor and contaminating your cold head. An
adsorber is the filtration measure that will keep
oil out of the cold head and only let helium
through. You can also work with qualified MRI
field engineers to make sure gaseous
contamination doesnt occur during the
installation of a new cold head. In addition, you
can contact your service provider for oil testing
and air testing. If they find contamination, a
problem is likely to happen sooner than later.
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• Replacement Cost for MRI Cold Head

The cost of replacing an MRI cold is
5,000-10,000, depending on the type of MRI
Scanner you have and whether you purchase a new
cold head or refurbished one. The best way to
protect your investment in an MRI Scanner is to
be proactive with all maintenance. Monitor your
re-condensing margin, get a new adsorber every
year and talk to your service provider about
contamination testing.
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Talk To An Expert
Still have questions about maintain and
protecting your MRI Scanner? Or, are you in the
market for an MRI Scanner but not sure if a new
or refurbished one is the right choice? Talk to
the experts at Atlantis Worldwide. Weve been
helping clients with their medical imaging needs
for 30 years and would love to help you. Contact
Atlantis Worldwide today.
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SOME BLOGS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

• The Future of Helium MRIs
• MRI Cold Head Tips
• Service Contracts for Imaging Systems Penny Wise
  and Pound Foolish?
• Radiologists, Healthcare Social Media
• Should your business lease or buy medical imaging
  equipment?
• Free MRI Resources
• Meet the author Vikki Harmonay

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