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The magnet stays cold. That saves the most expensive item.
In a conventional MRI move the magnet is ramped down and warmed to room temperature — the helium is lost and has to be cooled down and refilled from scratch at the destination. With Zero-Boil-Off transport the field is ramped down as well, but the coldhead keeps running for the entire journey on a mobile power supply: the cryostat stays at temperature and the helium stays in the system.
The principle
Cooling that never stops.
A superconducting magnet must be kept permanently at a few kelvin. In operation the coldhead does this, powered from the building supply. As soon as that supply is interrupted, the helium starts to evaporate — regardless of whether the system is moving or standing still.
With Zero-Boil-Off transport the cooling circuit is never interrupted: the coldhead and compressor keep running on a carried power supply, from removal at the old site to connection to the grid at the new one. The magnet reaches its destination cold and doesn't need refilling.
The effort lies in the uninterrupted supply and monitoring during the journey. In return, helium refill, the cool-down and a large part of the downtime are eliminated.
- Continuous power for coldhead and compressor
- Monitoring of pressure and temperature during the journey
- Air-suspended transport with a shock log
- Craning, heavy-load permits and route planning
- Connection and commissioning by our own engineers
- Contingency plan in case of a supply failure
Comparison
Conventional vs Zero-Boil-Off
Both routes reach the destination. The difference is what has to be re-cooled, refilled and re-adjusted at the end.
| Item | Conventional | Zero-Boil-Off |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetic field | Ramped down | Ramped down |
| Magnet temperature | Warms to room temperature | Stays cold (a few kelvin) |
| Helium | Evaporates, refill needed | Stays in the system |
| Coldhead | Off during transport | Runs continuously |
| At destination | Cool down, refill, ramp, calibrate | Ramp, test, calibrate |
| Downtime | Considerably longer | Considerably shorter |
| Transport effort | Low | Higher — supply and monitoring |
| Worth it for | Scrapping, parts recovery | Continued magnet operation |
Process
How a magnet move works
Survey both sites
Access, crane positions, door dimensions and power connections at both sites. That defines the route.
Removal with cooling running
Switch to the mobile supply without interruption, then remove the peripherals.
Monitored transport
Air-suspended heavy-load transport with continuous logging of pressure, temperature and shock.
Connection & acceptance
Move in, connect to the building supply, test and calibrate — then acceptance with documentation.
When it pays off
Whenever the magnet is meant to keep running.
If the system goes to recycling, the conventional route is cheaper — then only the material value counts. But if the magnet is meant to scan patients again at the new site, the cold journey is usually the more economical option: helium refill and the cool-down are eliminated, and the department is back in operation sooner.
We'll tell you honestly which of the two routes is cheaper in your case.
Get your move calculatedFAQ
About magnet transport
What happens if the power fails en route?
There's a contingency plan with redundant supply. A brief outage doesn't cause immediate damage — the cryostat has thermal reserve. Only a longer interruption becomes critical, which is why pressure and temperature are monitored continuously.
Can every magnet be transported cold?
Not every one. What matters is the design, cryostat, age and condition of the system as well as the route. We check this before committing and decline if the risk isn't acceptable.
How long is the department down?
It depends on distance, craning and the construction status at the destination. The time saved over the conventional route comes mainly from eliminating the cool-down and refill at the destination.
Do you also handle the removal beforehand?
Yes, removal and transport come from a single source — see Deinstallation. That avoids interfaces exactly where the cooling must not stop.