X-ray high-voltage generator having a two-phase cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12029593-B2
Application number	US-202318186297-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2023
Priority date	Mar 21, 2022
Publication date	Jul 9, 2024
Grant date	Jul 9, 2024

Abstract

An X-ray high-voltage generator comprises: a circuit arrangement having at least one power electronics circuit part, wherein the at least one power electronics circuit part is configured to form a heat source during operation; and a two-phase cooling system having a heat sink. The at least one power electronics circuit part is directly thermally coupled to the two-phase cooling system to cool the heat source at the heat sink. The two-phase cooling system has a cooling element block that spatially surrounds a cooling channel circuit. The cooling channel circuit is at least partially filled with a working medium, and is configured to act as a heat pipe.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An X-ray high-voltage generator for providing a high voltage for X-ray beam generation in an X-ray tube, the X-ray high-voltage generator comprising:
a circuit arrangement having at least one power electronics circuit part, wherein the at least one power electronics circuit part is configured to form a heat source during operation; and
a two-phase cooling system having a heat sink, wherein
the at least one power electronics circuit part is directly thermally coupled to the two-phase cooling system to dissipate heat from the heat source at the heat sink,
the two-phase cooling system has a cooling element block,
the cooling element block spatially surrounds a cooling channel circuit, and
the cooling channel circuit is at least partially filled with a working medium, and is configured to act as a heat pipe.

2. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a cooling capacity of the working medium circulating in the cooling channel circuit during operation is greater than a cooling capacity of the cooling element block surrounding the cooling channel circuit.

3. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a channel wall of the cooling element block enclosing the working medium in the cooling channel circuit is composed of an electrically insulating material, and wherein the electrically insulating material is a polymer or a ceramic.

4. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cooling element block has an insert, wherein a material of the insert has a higher thermal conductivity than a material of the cooling element block, and wherein the material of the insert is made of at least one of copper or aluminum.

5. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the cooling element block comprises:
a further cooling channel circuit, wherein
the cooling channel circuit and the further cooling channel circuit are thermally directly coupled via the insert.

6. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the cooling channel circuit and the further cooling channel circuit are arranged in different respective geometric planes, wherein the different respective geometric planes have a spacing greater than zero and at least one extent of the insert correlates with a value of the spacing to thermally bridge the spacing between the cooling channel circuit and the further cooling channel circuit.

7. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the insert is arranged inside the cooling channel circuit and configured such that the working medium flows around the insert, and wherein the insert is configured to act as a supporting element for starting the two-phase cooling system.

8. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the two-phase cooling system comprises:
one or more supporting elements configured to start the two-phase cooling system, wherein start of the two-phase cooling system includes starting the heat pipe.

9. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the one or more supporting elements include a liquid reservoir with an additional quantity of the working medium, and wherein the liquid reservoir is connected to the cooling channel circuit.

10. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the one or more supporting elements enclose an element for surface enlargement, the element including at least one of a spiral spring or cooling fins.

11. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the one or more supporting elements include an auxiliary heat source thermally directly coupled to the cooling channel circuit.

12. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 8 , wherein, as the one or more supporting elements, the cooling channel circuit adjacent to the heat source has a tapered cross-section.

13. An X-ray tube assembly, comprising:
the X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 1 , to provide the high voltage; and
an X-ray tube configured to generate X-ray beams using the high voltage.

14. A computed tomography facility, comprising:
the X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 1 ; and
a circular gantry including a rotating part and a stationary part, wherein the two-phase cooling system is arranged on the circular gantry.

15. The computed tomography facility as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the two-phase cooling system is arranged on the rotating part and the two-phase cooling system is oriented such that a plane of the cooling channel circuit forms a tangent in relation to the circular gantry.

16. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a channel wall of the cooling element block enclosing the working medium in the cooling channel circuit is composed of an electrically insulating material is a polymer or a ceramic.

17. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cooling element block has an insert, and wherein a material of the insert has a higher thermal conductivity than a material of the cooling element block.

18. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the insert is arranged inside the cooling channel circuit and configured such that the working medium flows around the insert, and wherein the insert is configured to act as a supporting element for starting the two-phase cooling system.

19. The X-ray high-voltage generator as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the one or more supporting elements enclose an element for surface enlargement.

20. A computed tomography facility, comprising:
the X-ray tube assembly as claimed in claim 13 ; and
a circular gantry including a rotating part and a stationary part, wherein the two-phase cooling system is arranged on the circular gantry.

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Gmbh
• Siemens Healthineers Ag

Inventors

• Stegmeier Stefan
• Schwarz Florian
• Waffler Stefan
• Weidinger Thomas
• Hader Andreas
• Wimmer Michael

Classifications

• A61B6/4488 Primary

  Means for cooling (A61B6/045 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05G1/10

  Power supply arrangements for feeding the X-ray tube {(supply circuits with converters in general H02M; supply circuits for emitters and amplifiers H04B1/16 - H04B1/1623)} · CPC title

• A61B6/035 Primary

  Mechanical aspects of CT · CPC title