Magnetic resonance transmitter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9851420-B2
Application number	US-201313963826-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2013
Priority date	Aug 9, 2013
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

A transmitter for a magnetic resonance (MR) system, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) system, is described herein. The transmitter includes a coil for applying NMR pulse sequences to a substance. The coil includes a first coil section and a second coil section. The first coil section and second coil section pass current in opposite polarity. The transmitter may also include a transmitter circuit for generating the NMR pulse sequences and providing the NMR pulse sequences to the coil. The transmitter circuit includes a first switch that selectively powers the first coil section and a second switch that selectively powers the second coil section. Operation of the first switch and the second switch generates the NMR pulse sequences.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a coil for applying magnetic resonance (MR) pulse sequences to a substance, the coil comprising:
a first coil section having a first winding length along a longitudinal axis of the coil; and
a second coil section having a second winding length along the longitudinal axis of the coil, wherein the first coil section and second coil section pass current in opposite polarity, and wherein at least a portion of the first winding length overlaps with at least a portion of the second winding length along the longitudinal axis of the coil; and
a transmitter circuit for generating the MR pulse sequences and providing the MR pulse sequences to the coil;
wherein the transmitter circuit further comprises
a first switch coupled to the first coil section and configured to selectively power the first coil section;
a second switch coupled to the second coil section and configured to selectively power the second coil section.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first switch and the second switch comprise transistors.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first switch and the second switch are configured to switch in less than 10 ns.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a driver coupled to the transmitter circuit and configured to control operation of the first switch and the second switch.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein operation of the first switch and the second switch generates the MR pulse sequences.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the driver is further configured to control operation of the first switch and the second switch according to a switching logic.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a power source selectively coupled to the first coil section via the first switch and selectively coupled to the second coil section via the second switch.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is a component of a wellbore logging tool.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first and second coil sections are disposed within an axial slot in a drill collar of the wellbore logging tool.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a resonant frequency of the transmitter circuit does not match a Larmor frequency of the apparatus.

11. A method for applying radio frequency pulses to a substance, the method comprising:
applying current to a first coil section of a coil, the first coil section having a first winding length along a longitudinal axis of the coil; and
applying current to a second coil section of the coil, the second coil section having a second winding length along the longitudinal axis of the coil, wherein current passes through the first and second coil sections in opposite polarity, and wherein at least a portion of the first winding length overlaps with at least a portion of the second winding length along the longitudinal axis of the coil;
wherein the current is selectively applied to the first coil section using a first switch and the current is selectively applied to the second coil section using a second switch.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein operation of the first switch and the second switch generate the radio frequency pulses.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first switch and the second switch are transistors.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the substance is a formation and the method further comprises:
applying the radio frequency pulses to the formation.

15. A magnetic resonance (MR) system comprising:
a coil comprising:
a first coil section having a first winding length along a longitudinal axis of the coil;
a second coil section having a second winding length along the longitudinal axis of the coil, wherein the first coil section and second coil section are configured in opposite polarity, and wherein at least a portion of the first winding length overlaps with at least a portion of the second winding length along the longitudinal axis of the coil;

a first transistor coupled to the first coil section and configured to selectively power the first coil section; and
a second transistor coupled to the second coil section and configured to selectively power the second coil section.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising:
a power source selectively coupled to the first coil section via the first transistor and selectively coupled to the second coil section via the second transistor.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein operation of the first transistor and the second transistor generate the MR pulse sequences.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Song Yi-Qiao

Classifications

• G01R33/3635

  Multi-frequency operation · CPC title

• G01R33/34 Primary

  Constructional details, e.g. resonators {, specially adapted to MR} · CPC title

• G01R33/3664

  Switching for purposes other than coil coupling or decoupling, e.g. switching between a phased array mode and a quadrature mode, switching between surface coil modes of different geometrical shapes, switching from a whole body reception coil to a local reception coil or switching for automatic coil selection in moving table MR or for changing the field-of-view (G01R33/3671 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N24/081 Primary

  Making measurements of geologic samples, e.g. measurements of moisture, pH, porosity, permeability, tortuosity or viscosity · CPC title

• G01R33/3607

  RF waveform generators, e.g. frequency generators, amplitude-, frequency- or phase modulators or shifters, pulse programmers, digital to analog converters for the RF signal, means for filtering or attenuating of the RF signal · CPC title