Discretized solenoid design of a 1.5 T and a 3.0 T REBCO wholebody MRI magnets with cost comparison according to magnetic flux

Rare earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) materials have shown the possibility of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) magnets due to their elevated transition temperature. While numerous MRI magnet designs have emerged, there is a growing emphasis on estimating the cost before manufacturing. In this paper, we propose two designs of REBCO whole-body MRI magnets: (1) 1.5 T and (2) 3.0 T, the standard center field choices for hospital use, and compare their costs based on conductor usage. The basis topology of the design method is based on discretized solenoids to enhance field homogeneity. Magnetic stress calculation is done to further prove the mechanical feasibility of their construction. Multi-width winding technique and outer notch structure are used to improve critical current characteristic. We apply consistent constraints for current margins, sizes, and field homogeneities to ensure an equal cost comparison. A graph is plotted to show the cost increase with magnetic flux growth. Additionally, we compare our designs to two additional MRI magnet designs from other publications with respect to the cost and magnetic flux, and present the linear relationship between them.