Radiation anode target systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10910188-B2
Application number	US-201816045598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2018
Priority date	Jul 25, 2018
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

Presented systems and methods facilitate efficient and effective generation and delivery of radiation. A radiation generation system can comprise: a particle beam gun, a high energy dissipation anode target (HEDAT); and a liquid anode control component. In some embodiments, the particle beam gun generates an electron beam. The HEDAT includes a solid anode portion (HEDAT-SAP) and a liquid anode portion (HEDAT-LAP) that are configured to receive the electron beam, absorb energy from the electron beam, generate a radiation beam, and dissipate heat. The radiation beam can include photons that can have radiation characteristics (e.g., X-ray wavelength, ionizing capability, etc.). The liquid anode control component can control a liquid anode flow to the HEDAT. The HEDAT-SAP and HEDAT-LAP can cooperatively operate in radiation generation and their configuration can be selected based upon contribution of respective HEDAT-SAP and the HEDAT-LAP characteristics to radiation generation.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A therapeutic radiation generation system comprising:
a particle beam gun that generates an electron beam;
a high energy dissipation anode target (HEDAT), wherein the HEDAT includes a solid anode portion (HEDAT-SAP) and a liquid anode portion (HEDAT-LAP) that are configured to receive the electron beam, absorb energy from the electron beam, generate a radiation beam, and dissipate heat, wherein the HEDAT receives the electron beam and the electron beam has energy characteristics equal to or greater than 1 MeV, and
a liquid anode control component configured to control a flow of a liquid anode to the HEDAT.

2. The therapeutic radiation generation system of claim 1 , wherein the radiation beam includes X-rays.

3. The therapeutic radiation generation system of claim 1 , wherein configuration of the HEDAT-SAP and the HEDAT-LAP are selected based upon respective contributions the HEDAT-SAP and the HEDAT-LAP characteristics to radiation generation.

4. The therapeutic radiation generation system of claim 1 , wherein the HEDAT-SAP and HEDAT-LAP cooperatively operate in radiation beam generation.

5. The therapeutic radiation generation system of claim 1 , wherein a surface that confines the flow of the liquid anode through the HEDAT is also a surface of the solid anode target.

6. The therapeutic radiation generation system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid anode control component controls pressure and temperature of the liquid anode flow.

7. The therapeutic radiation generation system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid anode absorbs heat from electron beam collisions within the liquid anode and heat via conduction from the solid energy anode.

8. The therapeutic radiation generation system of claim 1 , wherein the HEDAT includes a surface that forms a wall of a channel configured to confine a flow of a liquid anode.

9. The therapeutic radiation generation system of claim 1 , wherein the HEDAT-SAP includes a material that has at least one of the following characteristics: low density, low atomic number, high heat capacity, high thermal conductivity, high melting point, high Yield strength at high temperatures, high electrical conductivity, radiation hardness, and resistant to corrosive characteristics of the HEDAT-LAP.

10. The therapeutic radiation generation system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid anode includes a material that has at least one of the following characteristics: high heat capacity, low melting point, high thermal conductivity, high boiling point, high density, high atomic number, low viscosity, and non-corrosive.

11. A radiation method comprising:
receiving an electron beam at a first side of a high energy dissipation anode target (HEDAT);
generating radiation in a solid anode portion (HEDAT-SAP) and a liquid anode portion (HEDAT-LAP) of the HEDAT, including absorbing energy resulting from electron beam collisions in the HEDAT-SAP and the HEDAT-LAP;
forwarding a radiation beam from a second side of the HEDAT opposite of the first side; and
dissipating heat resulting from energy absorption in the solid anode target and the liquid anode target.

12. The radiation method of claim 11 , wherein the HEDAT-LAP also dissipates heat resulting from conduction transfer from the HEDAT-SAP.

13. The radiation method of claim 11 , wherein the dissipating the heat includes flowing cool liquid anode material into the HEDAT and warm liquid anode material out of the HEDAT.

14. The radiation method of claim 11 , further comprising controlling a flow of liquid anode material to and from the HEDAT-LAP.

15. The radiation method of claim 11 further comprising forwarding the radiation beam to a treatment target.

16. A radiation therapy system comprising:
a beam generation system that generates and transports a radiation beam in accordance with a prescribed treatment plan, where the beam generation system includes:
a particle beam gun that generates a particle beam;
a high energy dissipation anode target (HEDAT), wherein the HEDAT includes a solid anode portion (HEDAT-SAP) and a liquid anode portion (HEDAT-LAP) that are configured to receive the particle beam, absorb energy from the particle beam, generate radiation, and dissipate heat, and
a liquid anode control component configured to control a flow of a liquid anode to the HEDAT; and
a control component that receives information on radiation delivery associated with the radiation beam and directs execution of a prescribed treatment plan.

17. A radiation therapy system of claim 16 , wherein the beam generation system includes a liner accelerator and components that direct a radiation beam in a direction toward and into a nozzle.

18. A radiation therapy system of claim 16 , wherein a nozzle may be mounted on or a part of a fixed, rotating or movable gantry so that it can be moved relative to the supporting device.

19. The radiation therapy system of claim 16 , wherein the HEDAT-SAP and HEDAT-LAP cooperatively operate to enhance energy compatibility characteristics of the HEDAT.

20. The radiation therapy system of claim 16 , further comprising a slip ring gantry and liquid anode can be brought on and off the gantry via pathways that include a rotary joint.

Assignees

• Varian Med Sys Inc

Inventors

• Star-Lack Josh
• Clayton James

Classifications

• H01J2235/1204

  of the anode · CPC title

• H01J35/112 Primary

  Non-rotating anodes (H01J35/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61N5/1065

  Beam adjustment · CPC title

• A61N5/1077

  Beam delivery systems · CPC title

• H05G1/30

  Controlling · CPC title