Magnetic resonance imaging of flowing gas

Abstract

Gas phase MRI is of great contemporary interest in current NMR/MRI literature. Traditional imaging techniques are particularly susceptible to induced flow artifacts. Using Single Point Ramped Imaging with T1 Enhancement (SPRITE), sulfur hexalfuoride is imaged at flow rates approaching l 2m/s. The experiments are conducted in the presence of a motion-sensitive magnetic field gradient that introduces signal attenuation as a function of encoding times and flow, through induced phase cancellation. Additional variables are also examined as of method of observing flow patterns. These techniques are examined through the study of non-steady gas pipe flow within a 3.5cm diameter tube containing a half square-cylinder obstruction.