Iseult/INUMAC Whole Body 11.7 T MRI Magnet

A new innovative whole body 11.7 T MRI magnet is currently being manufactured at Belfort as part of the Iseult/Inumac project, a French-German initiative focused on very high magnetic-field molecular imaging. It will be installed in a neuroscience research center with other very high field MRI equipment, operating in France at CEA Saclay since November 2006. This actively shielded magnet system, manufactured from an NbTi superconductor, will generate a homogeneous field level of 11.75 T within a 90-cm warm bore. The design was cross checked and verified by Siemens Healthcare MR. After six years of activities, the fabrication is nearly completed at Belfort. The Iseult magnet will be delivered to CEA in the coming months and the commissioning phase will start in the beginning of 2017. The manufacturing steps recently completed are presented. This especially includes intermediate qualification tests, superconducting coils integration in the cold mass structure, and closure up of the helium vessel. Finally, an overall status of the commissioning and tests of the ancillary equipment at the site is presented.