Rotating Anode X-ray Source with Atmospheric Window
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional x-ray sources face limitations in x-ray brightness due to thermal damage from high heat loads, and existing solutions like rotating anode and liquid metal jet sources have challenges with maintaining vacuum and cooling, as well as material limitations and contamination.
Innovation Solution
An x-ray source design featuring a rotating anode assembly with a hermetically sealed electron-beam source that maintains a pressure differential using a window to allow electron beams to propagate, while using convective cooling and lubricated ball bearings to manage heat and vacuum, and employing x-ray generating materials like aluminum, chromium, and tungsten.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a rotating anode is used to distribute heat load, then thermal damage is reduced, but device complexity increases due to vacuum seals and cooling systems
Solution Approach 1:
The anode is divided into multiple segments arranged in a circular track, allowing the electron beam to sequentially irradiate different regions. This segmentation distributes the heat load across multiple anode segments rather than concentrating it on a single target area, enabling heat management without requiring complex vacuum sealing mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the anode from a vacuum environment and places it in an atmospheric pressure environment. By removing the anode from the vacuum chamber, the complex vacuum seal mechanisms required in conventional rotating anode systems are eliminated, while the anode continues to rotate and distribute heat effectively in atmospheric pressure.
2Illumination intensity
If electron beam current density is increased to improve x-ray brightness, then x-ray brightness increases, but thermal damage to the target occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The anode is designed to rotate dynamically, bringing different segments into the electron beam path sequentially. This dynamic rotation allows the system to sustain higher electron beam current densities by continuously moving the heat load to fresh anode segments, preventing thermal accumulation and damage while maintaining high x-ray brightness output.
3Illumination intensity
If liquid metal jet is used instead of solid anode, then x-ray brightness improves, but material evaporation causes contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses an atmospheric pressure environment with inert or controlled gas atmosphere around the anode. This atmospheric environment prevents metal evaporation and contamination issues that occur in vacuum-based liquid metal jet systems, while still allowing high current density electron beams to generate bright x-rays by distributing heat through anode rotation.
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 design enhances x-ray brightness by effectively managing thermal damage and maintaining vacuum and cooling, offering a wide choice of anode materials and improved spectral characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
x-ray sources generate x-rays by bombarding a target with an electron beam
Implementation Method 2
employing x-ray generating materials like aluminum, chromium, and tungsten
Implementation Method 3
an anode disk rapidly rotates while under vacuum and different regions of the anode disk along a circular track are sequentially irradiated by the electron beam, thereby distributing the heat load over the circular track
Implementation Method 4
The window is configured to hermetically seal the aperture, to maintain a pressure differential between the first region and the second region
Implementation Method 5
The window is configured to hermetically seal the aperture, to maintain a pressure differential between the first region and the second region, and to allow the at least one electron beam to propagate from the second region to the first region
Implementation Method 6
the anode disk is cooled by coolant (e.g., water) flowing through cooling channels in the anode disk
Data Source
AI summary
An x-ray source includes an anode assembly having at least one surface configured to rotate about an axis, the at least one surface in a first region. The x-ray source further includes an electron-beam source configured to emit at least one electron beam configured to bombard the at least one surface of the anode assembly. The electron-beam source includes a housing, a cathode assembly, and a window. The housing at least partially bounds a second region and comprises an aperture. The cathode assembly is configured to generate the at least one electron beam within the second region. The window is configured to hermetically seal the aperture, to maintain a pressure differential between the first region and the second region, and to allow the at least one electron beam to propagate from the second region to the first region.