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I can only guess that the price of replacing an MRI scanner is more than the expected difference in operating cost of nitrogen vs helium. Everything I know abou
by hangsi 10y ago
I can only guess that the price of replacing an MRI scanner is more than the expected difference in operating cost of nitrogen vs helium. Everything I know about MRI suggests that the machine itself is fairly pricy.
- pg_is_a_butt 10y agoI can only guess that you don't understand that after there is no more helium, the operating cost of helium doesn't exist either. idiot.
- akiselev 10y agoNot at all. MRI machines have huge start up costs but that doesn't mean they cost any less to run because making and storing liquid helium is orders of magnitude more expensive than liquid nitrogen. According to [1], for a new MRI from the manufacturer, it costs about $2 million for startup costs (capex and training) and another $2.5 million over the next 5 years for operating costs. Considering these things easily last 20-30 or more years the lifetime cost of an MRI will be an order of magnitude greater than the acquisition cost. Don't know how accurate this document is but it fits my experience of about $1 mil start up with $0.5-1 million per year operating costs. [1] http://proimagingservices.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/How-Much-does-it-Cost-to-Operate-an-MRI.pdf http://proimagingservices.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/How...
- tomw2005 10y agoI have a higher up comment but cryogen free magnets exist now. They still need water and electricity but much cheaper than the cost of helium (ant the cost of the nitrogen around the helium).
- lostlogin 10y agoJust to add to this good comment. MR scanners are generally (here in New Zealand) considered to have a lifetime of 10 years. Some scanners use liquid nitrogen and liquid helium for cooling. The use of compressors to reuse the helium that boils off has dropped helium use dramatically, meaning refills are now uncommon and occur every year or two.