Abstract: A superconducting electromagnet comprising an annular inner helium container vessel within which the windings of an annular magnet are contained, an outer annular vacuum chamber within which the said inner vessel is contained, and a generally annular hollow thermal shield arranged to enclose the inner vessel and disposed between the said vessel and the said chamber in spaced apart relationship so that the longitudinal axes of the said shield and the magnet are substantially co-extensive, an outer wall of the shield being defined by concentric generally cylindrical mutually spaced inner and outer thermal screens, which in combination define a double wall screen, the shield having a double wall only in a region concentric with the longitudinal axis of the magnet.

Abstract: A super-conducting electro-magnet for use in an MRI system comprising a helium vessel within which magnet windings are positioned, a vacuum chamber within which the helium vessel is contained, at least one thermal shield positioned between the helium vessel and the vacuum chamber, a service turret having a neck tube which is arranged to extend through the thermal shield within the vacuum chamber so as to communicate with the helium vessel for filling purposes, the thermal shield being thermally coupled to the service turret neck tube by means of a plurality of flexible connector strips fabricated from laminated conductive material which at one end are secured to the thermal shield and which at the other end thereof are secured to the service turret neck tube, sufficient strips being provided substantially to surround the service turret neck tube thereby to provide a substantially continuous thermally conductive junction between the service turret neck tube and the thermal shield.