Freund also advises that it is imperative that when selecting a company to perform a cool down or routine top-off, that you make sure they are qualified to perform these services.

"An improperly performed cool down can easily cost twice what it would have if done correctly," he says. "Helium top-offs that are not performed correctly or with the correct equipment can lead to magnet quenches."


No one wants that to happen. A quench happens when the superconducting wire loses its ability to super conduct, brought on by the temperature around a part of the wire being raised above the temperature required. The wire goes to a "normal" state, which creates heat in the system causing a rapid boil off of liquid helium and a loss of the magnetic field. Since magnets can lose most of their reservoir of helium during a quench, the expense to repair this problem is costly. The downtime to repair a quench depends on how quickly a service expert can respond, but any downtime for an MRI unit means lost revenue.

"Magnet technology has gotten better and with experienced engineers, quenches don't happen near as often as they used to," says Michael Webster, president of Legacy Medical Imaging. "A black quench means the magnet shorted or burned up and is not repairable (in the field). A soft quench you can replace the baffle, check magnet resistance, check for signs of ice, fill it up with cryogens and try to ramp it."

As far as service, Gregory believes people are shying away from the OEM contracts because they are so much more expensive.

"We have seen our service base grow quite a bit in the past year," he says. "With the economy being down, people are maintaining their service contracts."

Now that there is plenty of helium to go around again, and MRs are improving to require even less, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic that 2010 will provide economic gains for all those involved in the industry, helping the bottom line to move up.

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Ice Is the Enemy

If your magnet is not properly maintained, it runs the risk of developing a leak, and this can cause serious problems. Thomas Freund, general manager of MRI Services for Oxford Instruments, helped explain the problems and solutions associated with leaks.

"Maybe a clamp isn't tight or a seal is compromised, so air can get inside the magnet and when that happens, the magnet freezes," Freund explains. "When you have a situation like that, more air gets sucked in because the incredibly low temperature causes contractions. So if you have a leak, even a small leak, the magnet will draw air into it. The air itself will freeze and unfortunately, where it usually freezes, is where you are trying to put the helium in or where you're trying to put the ramping lead in. Then you have what's called an ice block."

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