Atlas Copco and Linde Industrial Gases Group have cooperated on a global scale with hundreds of high pressure compressors providing power for Linde gas supply facilities.
In 2011, Linde purchased two sets of helium compressors for its helium provision facilities in Pixian, Chengdu. The project was to supply cooling helium for an international manufacturer of professional medical imaging technology products, primarily magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. MRI systems require a continuous supply of low-temperature air to cool the magnetic coil of the scanner. This creates superconducting properties in the coil and ensures the current smoothly flows through it, generating a high-intensity magnetic field.
Liquid helium is the only cooling media that can cool the magnetic coil to an ultra-low temperature to achieve superconductivity (zero resistance). However, the liquid helium pressure generated in the high-pressure container can be up to 50-60 Psig and cannot be pumped directly into the MRI device. Instead a professional helium compressor pumps out and decompresses the liquid helium to 10 Psig or below so it can then be used to fill the MRI device.
A helium compressor is also required to exhaust the evaporated helium that is generated when producing an MRI. This can greatly affect compressor performance and stability. Therefore, Linde chose a helium compressor from Atlas Copco.
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