To measure the phase behavior of a fluid in a porous medium such as a tight gas shale, one illustrative method involves: (a) loading the fluid into a sample cell containing the porous medium; (b) setting a pressure and a temperature for the fluid in the sample cell; (c) applying an RF pulse sequence to the fluid in the sample cell to acquire an NMR signal; (d) deriving from the NMR signal an NMR parameter distribution that depends on the pressure and the temperature; (e) determining whether a fluid phase is present based on the NMR parameter distribution; (f) repeating operations (c) through (f) to determine the presence or absence of the fluid phase at multiple points along a pressure-temperature path that crosses a phase boundary; and (g) providing an estimated location of the phase boundary based on the presence or absence of the fluid phase at said points.

To measure the phase behavior of a fluid in a porous medium such as a tight gas shale, one illustrative method involves: (a) loading the fluid into a sample cell containing the porous medium; (b) setting a pressure and a temperature for the fluid in the sample cell; (c) applying an RF pulse sequence to the fluid in the sample cell to acquire an NMR signal; (d) deriving from the NMR signal an NMR parameter distribution that depends on the pressure and the temperature; (e) determining whether a fluid phase is present based on the NMR parameter distribution; (f) repeating operations (c) through (f) to determine the presence or absence of the fluid phase at multiple points along a pressure-temperature path that crosses a phase boundary; and (g) providing an estimated location of the phase boundary based on the presence or absence of the fluid phase at said points.

An NMR MAS probe head (1) has an MAS stator (7) with a base bearing (8) and a front bearing (75) for receiving a substance to be measured at a measurement position within an MAS rotor. The front bearing has an opening for inserting the MAS rotor into the space between the base bearing and the front bearing. The opening can be closed by a closing device that, in a loading state, opens and, in a measuring state, closes the opening by means of a movement that is transverse with respect to an axis (a) through the centers of the base bearing and the opening of the front bearing of the MAS stator. This enables automated loading and unloading of the MAS rotor in the space between the base bearing and the front bearing inside the MAS stator in a simple way.

An NMR MAS probe head (1) has an MAS stator (7) with a base bearing (8) and a front bearing (75) for receiving a substance to be measured at a measurement position within an MAS rotor. The front bearing has an opening for inserting the MAS rotor into the space between the base bearing and the front bearing. The opening can be closed by a closing device that, in a loading state, opens and, in a measuring state, closes the opening by means of a movement that is transverse with respect to an axis (a) through the centers of the base bearing and the opening of the front bearing of the MAS stator. This enables automated loading and unloading of the MAS rotor in the space between the base bearing and the front bearing inside the MAS stator in a simple way.

A method for operating a temperature control apparatus for a medical examination device, in particular a magnetic resonance apparatus, wherein the medical examination device causes a heat input into the body of a patient to be examined during an examination procedure, and wherein the temperature control apparatus has at least one temperature modifier designed for controlling the temperature of the patient, at least one item of heat information that describes the heat balance of the patient is determined, in order to determine a control parameter for controlling at least one ambient parameter that describes the at least one temperature modifier by taking into account at least one ambient condition on the body of the patient, and at least one examination parameter that describes the examination procedure as the input variables of a heat balance model.

A method for operating a temperature control apparatus for a medical examination device, in particular a magnetic resonance apparatus, wherein the medical examination device causes a heat input into the body of a patient to be examined during an examination procedure, and wherein the temperature control apparatus has at least one temperature modifier designed for controlling the temperature of the patient, at least one item of heat information that describes the heat balance of the patient is determined, in order to determine a control parameter for controlling at least one ambient parameter that describes the at least one temperature modifier by taking into account at least one ambient condition on the body of the patient, and at least one examination parameter that describes the examination procedure as the input variables of a heat balance model.

Disclosed herein is a device defining a generally closed volume therein, henceforth known as a “shuttle”, not permanently fixed to a probe or other surface inside the cryostat, into which gas and/or liquid—most preferably helium gas or liquid—can pass into or out of in a controlled and predictable manner. The passage of gas or liquid into the shuttle is preferably via a porous barrier so that sterile conditions can be maintained in the interior of the shuttle.

An NMR probe including an RF coil, a sample region defined within the coil, and a thermal control apparatus comprising a thermal control fluid circuit having a thermal control fluid inlet and a thermal control fluid outlet to control the temperature of the sample region.

An NMR probe including an RF coil, a sample region defined within the coil, and a thermal control apparatus comprising a thermal control fluid circuit having a thermal control fluid inlet and a thermal control fluid outlet to control the temperature of the sample region.

Among the various aspects of the present disclosure is the provision of systems and spherical rotors suitable for use in magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and methods of use thereof.