Design and Optimization of a Pole-less 0.2 T C-Type MRI Magnet

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel pole-less 0.2 T C-type MRI magnet design using concentric rings to improve homogeneity and reduce weight, enabling more accessible low-field MRI systems.

Contribution

It introduces a pole-less magnet design with optimized geometric parameters, demonstrating improved homogeneity and weight reduction compared to traditional pole piece designs.

Findings

Peak field of 0.2 T achieved in simulations

Inhomogeneity of 1.43 mT over 20 cm DSV

Total weight of 590 kg for the magnet

Abstract

Low-field MRI is increasingly considered accessible for imaging owing to its lower cost, simpler infrastructure requirements, and potential for mobile and point-of-care deployment. A central challenge is achieving clinically useful field strength and homogeneity while keeping the magnet lightweight and maintaining patient accessibility. This work presents the design and magnetostatic simulation of a pole-less, 0.2 T, C-type bipolar magnet comprising two cylindrical N52 permanent magnets and four concentric rings that replace traditional pole pieces to enhance field homogeneity and reduce weight in bipolar magnet designs. Geometric parameters, including each magnet ring thickness, height, angular anchorage, spacing between magnets, and the magnets' vertical offset relative to the horizontal yokes, were manually investigated to improve magnetic field homogeneity in a 20 cm DSV. Simulations were performed in CST Studio Suite, yielding a peak field of 0.2 T, with a peak inhomogeneity of 1.43 mT across the 20 cm DSV and a total weight of 590 kg. A pole piece design with comparable dimensions, used as a benchmark for inhomogeneity and weight, was designed and simulated. It yielded a peak field of 0.15 T and a weight of 890 kg, with a 0.7 mT inhomogeneity over a 20 cm DSV. This study demonstrates the feasibility of replacing the traditional pole pieces with magnet rings to reduce weight while enhancing patient access with the C-magnet structure in yoked MRI systems.