Posted: 13 December 2022
The cooling of X-Ray equipment is crucial, especially when it’s part of a highly advanced three-dimensional imaging system. When Thermal Exchange Ltd, now part of Applied Thermal Control, was approached by a renowned manufacturer of X-ray inspection equipment to provide a bespoke x-ray cooling cooling solution, they immediately set about establishing their requirements and were soon designing the initial prototypes.
The first challenge was to provide a machine with sufficient cooling capacity in the available size envelope. Cooling power vs. size ratio however wasn’t the only problem; the customer also required a computer interface capable of monitoring an array of system conditions in order to protect their valuable equipment, and, inverter drive technology had to be employed to handle the variable load conditions of the fluid circuit. This all required considerable engineering and a great deal of computer modelling before an acceptable design was agreed.
Because of variations in the customers equipment, it was necessary to split the total cooling requirement between two individual units to be mounted one above the other in a 19” wide housing. One cooler would supply chilled water within a 0.1°C band, whilst the second cooler provided a steady flow of a thermal heat transfer fluid.
The final challenge was to supply a UL compliant product; this complicated the normal component selection process and meant an independent test house had to be employed to provide the necessary reports and approvals.
The end result was a versatile global cooling system tailored to meet the customer's exacting requirements; capable of providing a continuous supply of essential coolant at exactly the right flow, pressure and temperature in a wide range of variable conditions.
More information on the use of cooling systems with XRD and XRF can be found here.
Click here to find out more about UL approved chillers from ATC.