Influence of the Distribution of the Properties of Permanent
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1 Influence of the distribution of the properties of permanent magnets on the field homogeneity of magnet assemblies for mobile NMR Y.P.Klein1∗, L.Abelmann1;2, and J.G.E.Gardeniers 1∗ 1 University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands 2 KIST Europe, Saarbrucken,¨ Germany Abstract—We optimised the magnetic field homogeneity of two In the literature, several magnet shapes for mobile NMR canonical designs for mobile microfluidic NMR applications: two sensors have been reported. A broad overview of magnet parallel magnets with an air gap and a modified Halbach array. developments up to 2009 can be found in Demas et al. [10]. Along with the influence of the sample length, general design guidelines will be presented. For a fair comparison the sensitive U-shaped single-sided magnets [11], [12] and magnets with length of the sample has been chosen to be the same as the specially shaped iron pole magnets [13] have been used to gap size between the magnets to ensure enough space for the explore surfaces. Mobile pseudo-Halbach configurations [14] transmitting and receiving unit, as well as basic electric shimming and two cylindrical magnets [15] have been applied for solid components. Keeping the compactness of the final device in mind, and liquid NMR measurements. While the pseudo-Halbach a box with an edge length 5 times the gap size has been defined, in which the complete magnet configuration should fit. With the generates a higher field, ranging from 0:7 to 2:0 T [16]–[18] chosen boundary conditions, the simple parallel cuboid config- compared to 0:35 to 0:6 T for the other configurations [5], uration reaches the best homogeneity without active shimming [11]–[13], the reported field homogeneities without electric (0.5Bs, 41 ppm), while the Pseudo-Halbach configuration has shimming seem to be independent of the design, ranging from the highest field strength (0.9Bs, 994 ppm), assuming perfect 20 ppm to 606 ppm [1], [5], [15], [18]–[20]. Comparing the magnets. However, permanent magnet configurations suffer from imperfections, such as magnetisation, fabrication and positioning two most reported mobile liquid NMR sensors, it further stands errors, which results in worse magnetic field homogeneities than out that there is no obvious relation between the size of the expected from simulations using a fixed optimised parameter sensor and the choice of the magnet configuration. set. We present a sensitivity analysis for a magnetic cube and the To achieve more insight into possible guidelines for the results of studies of the variations in the magnetisation and angle magnet design, in this paper a modelling study will be of magnetisation of magnets purchased from different suppliers, composed of different materials and coatings, and of different presented from which the homogeneity and field strength at sizes. We performed a detailed Monte Carlo simulation on the specific locations in the gap of the magnet configuration is effect of the measured distribution of magnetic properties on derived numerically. It is widely experienced that after build- the mentioned configurations. The cuboid design shows a mean ing such a permanent magnet configuration, the homogeneity homogeneity of 430 ppm (std dev. 350 ppm), the Pseudo-Halbach reached in practice does not exhibit the same results as in has a mean homogeneity of 1086 ppm (std dev. 8 ppm). the simulation [16], [18], [21]–[23], which can be caused Keywords—mobile NMR, magnet imperfections, permanent by several factors. The magnetisation of permanent magnets magnets, Halbach, field homogeneity, proof-reading-service depends highly on the temperature, as well as on the remanent magnetisation [24]. This remanent magnetisation can change over time due to shock-induced demagnetisation [25], [26], I. INTRODUCTION external magnetic fields [27], a degrading of the magnetic Low-field and low-cost mobile microfluidic nuclear mag- material caused by oxidation [28], as well as broken or netic resonance (NMR) sensors are very suitable for appli- chipped off pieces (since magnets are very brittle) [21]. Next arXiv:2103.13691v1 [physics.app-ph] 25 Mar 2021 cations in chemical process industry and in research, for to material related differences, fabrication inaccuracies such as example chemical analysis, biomedical applications, and flow variations in the dimensions and magnetisation angles affect measurements [1]–[9]. The design of a permanent magnet for the field created by a permanent magnet. On top of that, an NMR sensor requires both a strong magnetic field and a magnet configurations can never be assembled perfectly. Errors high field homogeneity within a defined region of interest. In in placement may induce a tilt or an axial offset of the magnet. NMR, a high external magnetic field results in a high spectral We carried out an extensive numerical sensitivity analysis resolution and detection sensitivity. of a single cubic magnet using these variations. We measured However, field inhomogeneities compromise the spectral the variations in the magnetisation and magnetisation angle resolution. Our aim with this research was to determine how of magnets composed of different materials, with different the distribution of the properties of permanent magnets affect coatings, and with different sizes, obtained from different man- the magnetic field homogeneity of magnet configurations for ufacturers. The two main magnet configurations investigated mobile NMR devices. are a system of two parallel magnets and a Pseudo-Halbach 2 0.5005 0.5004 s /B 0.5003 z B d 0.5002 0.5001 Fig. 1. Magnet configurations for microfluidic NMR. The sample under -0.5 -0.25 0 0.25 0.5 investigation is inside a tubular channel running through the center of the Distance/Gap size (x/d ) configurations, and has a length s. The arrows indicate the magnetisation of each individual magnet. Left: Cuboid configuration. The height of the stack l is fixed at five times the gap between the magnets d. The width w of the Fig. 2. Field profile of the cuboid configuration as a function of the relative stack is optimised for minimum field inhomogeneity over the sample length distance from the centre between the magnets. In the optimised situation for s. Right: Pseudo-Halbach configuration. Again l is fixed to 5d, but now the a sample length equal to the gap size, the field in the centre equals the field magnet recess c is optimised. at the edges (x = ±0:5d). configuration [10], shown in Fig.1. One configuration of each been purchased. We chose different materials, coatings, sizes type has been designed and optimised for the following bound- and manufacturers, shown in TableI. ary conditions. The sensitive length of the channel (s) has been chosen to be the same as the gap size (d). For example: In B. Stray field calculation case a maximal magnet size of 50 mm × 50 mm × 50 mm is Calculations of the magnetic stray fields were performed required, the gap size turns out to be 10 mm. All dimension using CADES simulation software, described by Delinchant specifications are scalable and will be normalised by the gap et al. [32]. The magnetic interactions are modelled with length. Scaling the dimensions bigger or smaller will result the MacMMems tool, which uses the Coulombian equivalent in an increased or decreased sample length relative to the charge method to generate a semi-analytic model. dimensions of the gap, while the magnetic field properties within the region of interest will stay the same. The magnetic ZZ 0 field has been normalised to the residual magnetic flux density s(r − r ) B(r) = 0 3 ds, s = m0M · n Bs (T) of the used magnetic material. The cuboid configuration jr − r j consists of two cuboid magnets with a height of 2d and a Here, B is the magnetic field (T) and M the magnetisation of width of 4:72d. The Pseudo-Halbach configuration consists of the permanent magnet (A=m), r and r0 define the observation eight bar magnets, each with the dimensions d × d × 5d. The point and its distance to the elementary field source area ds. measured variations in the magnets have been used to perform The integral is taken over the surface of the magnets. s (T) a Monte Carlo simulation to provide insight into how the is the magnetic surface charge, and n the unit vector normal homogeneity of those configurations varies after assembling. to the surface. The results have been verified with field measurements done The CADES framework, including a component generator, with a Tesla meter. The sample channel in most published component calculator, and component optimiser, generated the microfluidic NMR sensors has a high ratio of sample length final equations, which are used to calculate and optimise the over inner diameter (s=di) (5:0 over 0:4 mm in [29], 30 over designs. 1:0 mm in [30], and 2:9 over 0:15 mm in [31]). Therefore we focus on a high field homogeneity in mainly one dimension C. Design optimisation procedure (x-axis). The stray field calculations are used to optimize particular II. METHODS magnet configurations with respect to the inhomogeneity of the magnetic field over the length of the sample. This inho- A. Determination of variation in magnet properties mogeniety is captured in a single valued metric defined as the The variations in the properties of the magnets have root mean square of the difference between the z-component been measured with a 3D Hall-probe (THM1176 Three-axis of the mean field Bmean and the z-component of field along Hall Magnetometer, Metrolab). The setup for the configu- the sample Bz, averaged of the sample length s and related to ration measurements contains a stable temperature environ- the mean field: ment (38:0(5) °C) and a Hall sensor from Projekt Elektronik GmbH (Teslameter 3002/Transverse Probe T3-1,4-5,0-70) in Z s=2 q 1 2 combination with a motorised linear stage.