Ultra-Capacitor Power Buffer for CT Peak Load Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing CT systems have high input power requirements due to peak power demands from the x-ray tube, leading to high installation costs, as they need to supply 100 kW peak power but only use 4 kW average, making it desirable to reduce peak power from the input line.
Innovation Solution
The use of an energy storage device, specifically ultra-capacitors, to share power delivery with the input power line, reducing peak load requirements by storing energy during gantry slowdowns and x-ray tube rotor slowdowns, and providing a controlled inverter topology for efficient energy management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the x-ray tube is designed to deliver high peak power (100 kW), then the imaging quality and diagnostic capability are improved, but the installation cost and input power line requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary energy storage during periods when peak power is not needed (gantry idle, rotor deceleration phases), accumulating energy in capacitors before it is required. This preliminary action allows the system to deliver high peak power without requiring the input power line to continuously support that level, thereby reducing installation costs while maintaining imaging capability.
2Power
If the input power line is sized to supply peak power (100 kW), then the x-ray tube can operate at full capacity, but the average power consumption (4 kW) is greatly exceeded, leading to inefficient power line utilization and high costs
Solution Approach 1:
The capacitor bank acts as an intermediary energy storage device between the input power line and the x-ray tube. It absorbs excess energy during low-demand periods and releases it during peak demand, mediating the mismatch between continuous power line supply and intermittent peak power requirements. This improves power line utilization efficiency while ensuring peak power availability when needed for imaging.
3Loss of energy
If energy recovery systems are added to capture energy during gantry and rotor slowdowns, then overall power consumption is reduced (up to 10%), but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures and stores energy that would otherwise be wasted during gantry deceleration and rotor slowdown, making the system self-sufficient by recycling its own energy. The capacitors are charged during these deceleration phases, and the stored energy is reused when needed, reducing external power requirements by up to 10% without requiring complex external energy recovery infrastructure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the facility power requirements, lowers installation costs, enables a mobile CT system configuration, and provides an uninterrupted power supply, with energy recovery from gantry and x-ray tube motor actions, resulting in up to 10% reduced power consumption.
Implementation Method 1
the storage device comprises a plurality of ultra-capacitors
Implementation Method 2
the energy storage device recovers energy when a gantry is slowed down and/or a tube rotor is slowed down
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus includes a fixed computed tomography (CT) system including a storage device configured to share power delivery with an input power line in order to reduce peak load requirements of the input power line.