TIEFTEMPERATURSPEICHER FÜR SPIN-POLARISIERTES XENON-129

• Main Authors: HAPPER, WILLIAM, CATES, GORDON, D., JR, SAAM, BRIAN, DRIEHUYS, BASTIAAN, MIRON, ELI, BROOKINGS DRIVE, WALTER, DANIEL
• Format: Patent
• Language: German
• Published: 15.04.2003
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BLASTING; CHEMISTRY; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; DIAGNOSIS; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; HEATING; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; IDENTIFICATION; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY; LIGHTING; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES; LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; MEASURING; MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METALLURGY; MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT; NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; PHYSICS; PLASMA TECHNIQUE; PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR TOILET PURPOSES; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OFNEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMICBEAMS; REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; SURGERY; TESTING; WEAPONS

A method and apparatus for accumulation of hyperpolarized 129Xe is disclosed. The method and apparatus of the invention enable the continuous or episodic accumulation of flowing hyperpolarized 129Xe in frozen form. The method also permits the accumulation of hyperpolarized 129Xe to the substantial exclusion of other gases, thereby enabling the purification of hyperpolarized 129Xe. The invention further includes 129Xe accumulation means which is integrated with 129Xe hyperpolarization means in a continuous or pulsed flow arrangement. The method and apparatus enable large scale production, storage, and usage of hyperpolarized 129Xe for numerous purposes, including imaging of human and animal subjects through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques.