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Global MRI fleet, medical imaging
Rochester (Minnesota), United States44.02°N 92.47°W
computed criticality12/100
reading
each MRI: ≈1,700 L of liquid helium; ≈50,000 machines worldwide
2024Fault line
Each MRI cools its superconducting magnets with about 1,700 litres of liquid helium, with no known substitute. Modern medical diagnosis thus depends on a chain of three scarce links, Brazilian niobium, English magnet, Gulf helium, no shortage of which becomes visible until an examination is postponed.
Actors
GE HealthCare (Chicago)
Siemens Healthineers (Erlangen)
Philips (Amsterdam)
Depends on 2
Siemens Healthineers Magnet Technology, Eynsham, OxfordshireCritical Metals · Critical anchor↗Helium, Ras Laffan, QatarCritical Metals · Critical anchor↗Sources