Performance Entitlement by Using Novel High Strength Electrical Steels and Copper Alloys for High-Speed Laminated Rotor Induction Machines

The laminated rotor Induction Machine (IM), with its simple construction and manufacturing, robustness, ease of control and comparatively lower cost remains by far the most utilized electromechanical energy converter. At very high speeds, traditionally its use is considered to be limited to the previously established operational limits of 2.5 × 105 rpm√kW, beyond which the surface Permanent Magnet (PM) Machine and the solid rotor Induction Machine become the machines available for consideration. The aforesaid limits are derived from the use of classic materials. This paper reviews the recent developments in electrical steels and copper alloys and translates these into the resulting performance entitlement and operational limits through a case study involving a marine application, for which an existing rare-earth PM machine is in use. It is concluded that with novel materials, laminated rotor induction machines can be operated up to 6 × 105 rpm√kW, thus opening the use of the rare-earth free Induction Machine for a wider application range previously limited to PM machines.

FID-calibrated simultaneous multi-slice fast spin echo with long trains of hard pulses

Objective: To develop a novel, free-induction-decay (FID)-calibrated single-shot simultaneous multi-slice fast spin echo (SMS-FSE) with very long hard pulse trains for high encoding efficiency and low energy deposition. Approach: The proposed single-shot SMS-FSE employs a mixed pulse configuration in which a long excitation pulse that is spatially multi-band (MB) selective is used in conjunction with short spatially nonselective refocusing pulses. To alleviate energy deposition to tissues while reducing signal modulation along the echo train, variable low flip angles with signal prescription are utilized in the refocusing pulse train. A time-efficient FID-calibration and correction method is introduced before aliased voxels in the slice direction are resolved. Simulations and experiments are performed to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method as an alternative to conventional HASTE for generating T2-weighted images. Main results: Compared with conventional HASTE, the proposed method enhances imaging speed effectively by an MB factor up to 5 without apparent loss of image contrast while successfully eliminating FID artifacts. Significance: We successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed method as an encoding- and energy-efficient alternative to conventional HASTE for generation of T2-weighted contrast.

In Vitro 31P MR Chemical Shifts of In Vivo-Detectable Metabolites at 3T as a Basis Set for a Pilot Evaluation of Skeletal Muscle and Liver 31P Spectra with LCModel Software

Most in vivo 31P MR studies are realized on 3T MR systems that provide sufficient signal intensity for prominent phosphorus metabolites. The identification of these metabolites in the in vivo spectra is performed by comparing their chemical shifts with the chemical shifts measured in vitro on high-field NMR spectrometers. To approach in vivo conditions at 3T, a set of phantoms with defined metabolite solutions were measured in a 3T whole-body MR system at 7.0 and 7.5 pH, at 37 °C. A free induction decay (FID) sequence with and without 1H decoupling was used. Chemical shifts were obtained of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), phosphatidylcholine (PtdC), phosphocholine (PC), phosphoethanolamine (PE), glycerophosphocholine (GPC), glycerophosphoetanolamine (GPE), uridine diphosphoglucose (UDPG), glucose-6-phosphate (G6P), glucose-1-phosphate (G1P), 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH and NAD+), phosphocreatine (PCr), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and inorganic phosphate (Pi). The measured chemical shifts were used to construct a basis set of 31P MR spectra for the evaluation of 31P in vivo spectra of muscle and the liver using LCModel software (linear combination model). Prior knowledge was successfully employed in the analysis of previously acquired in vivo data.

Quantitative Evaluation of Phase Distribution in UHMWPE as Derived from a Combined Use of NMR FID Analysis and Monte Carlo Simulation

A new and robust statistical approach is explored with the objective to derive quantitative and reliable information on the molecular dynamics within distinct domains (crystalline, intermediate and amorphous domains) of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). The method consists of a critical evaluation of the free induction decay (FID) model, which is used to generate synthetic FID with a predefined signal-to-noise ratio by Monte Carlo simulations. The application of the method is demonstrated for three UHMWPE samples. A subsequent model fitting of their synthetic FIDs revealed a unique correlation between the error, i.e., standard deviation, of the derived parameters and the FID signal-to-noise ratio (SNRFID). Moreover, it was found that the method can be used to estimate the minimum required sampling time to obtain reliable parameter estimation of the FID model to experimental data.