X-ray Shield Aperture for Heat Management in Backscatter Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional x-ray backscatter devices face challenges in increasing x-ray power density without escalating heat generation, energy consumption, system weight, and component costs, which affects image quality and operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An x-ray backscatter apparatus with a rotatable anode and shield within a vacuum tube, where the shield is thermally coupled to the anode to absorb heat and co-rotate with it, allowing for a collimated x-ray beam to be directed efficiently towards a part, reducing power requirements and improving image sharpness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the power density of x-rays is increased to improve image quality, then image quality is improved, but heat generation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The x-ray beam is segmented through the use of an aperture shield with multiple apertures, allowing the beam to be divided into multiple smaller beams. This segmentation enables the power density to be distributed across multiple paths, reducing heat concentration at any single point while maintaining overall image quality through composite imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The aperture shield is nested within the vacuum tube structure, with the anode nested within the shield. This nested configuration allows the shield to be positioned close to the anode, enabling efficient heat absorption and x-ray beam shaping without requiring additional external cooling systems, thus reducing overall system heat management requirements.
2Measurement precision
If the power density of x-rays is increased to improve image quality, then image quality is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the geometric parameters of the x-ray beam through the aperture shield, transforming a single high-power-density beam into multiple lower-power-density beams. This parameter change allows the same total energy to be distributed more efficiently, reducing peak energy consumption while maintaining adequate image quality through the combined information from multiple beams.
3Measurement precision
If the power density of x-rays is increased to improve image quality, then image quality is improved, but system weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The aperture shield combines multiple functions into a single component: it shapes the x-ray beam, filters unwanted radiation, and serves as a thermal management element. By merging these functions, the system avoids adding separate components for each function, thereby reducing overall system weight while achieving high image quality.
4Measurement precision
If the power density of x-rays is increased to improve image quality, then image quality is improved, but cooling requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The aperture shield performs self-cooling by conducting heat away from the anode through its thermally conductive material. The shield's inherent thermal conductivity allows it to serve its own cooling needs, eliminating or reducing the requirement for external active cooling systems and simplifying the overall cooling architecture.
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 configuration enhances image quality, reduces power and cooling needs, extends system run times, minimizes weight and size, and improves portability, making it suitable for a broader range of testing scenarios while extending component life.
Implementation Method 1
an anode enclosed within the vacuum tube and located relative to the cathode to receive the electron stream and convert the electron stream from the cathode to an x-ray stream
Implementation Method 2
The x-ray shield and the anode are co-rotatable about an axis. The x-ray shield is thermally coupled to the anode and configured to absorb heat directly from the anode
Implementation Method 3
The collimator is enclosed within the vacuum tube and positioned between the anode and the emission aperture to direct the x-ray stream from the anode towards the emission aperture. The at least the portion of the x-ray stream that passes through the at least one emission aperture is a collimated x-ray beam
Implementation Method 4
a cathode enclosed within the vacuum tube and selectively operable to generate an electron stream
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is an x-ray backscatter apparatus (“apparatus”) for non-destructive inspection of an object. The apparatus includes an x-ray emitter that includes a vacuum tube, an x-ray shield enclosed within the vacuum tube. The x-ray shield includes at least one emission aperture. The apparatus also includes a cathode enclosed within the vacuum tube and that is operable to generate an electron stream. Also included is an anode, enclosed within the vacuum tube and located relative to the cathode, to receive the electron stream and convert the electron stream from the cathode to an x-ray stream, and located relative to the emission aperture to direct at least a portion of the x-ray stream through the at least one emission aperture. Also disclosed are a system and a method that utilize the apparatus.