X-ray generator power supplies offer high levels of remote monitoring and control

The supplies have been designed for use as component power supplies in industrial and analytical X-ray systems and low-energy industrial radiography applications. They offer output voltages of up to 60 or 90kV coupled with high stability and low ripple. The XR2000 can provide constant power between 60kV and 90kV for the 90kV model, and between 45kV and 60kV for the 60kV model. All models have a floating filament supply for grounded anode applications. The supplies incorporate a closed loop beam current control system, ensuring stable operation during line and load variations. The units’ IGBT converter design makes them very robust. Protection features such as tube arc suppression, power limit and interlocks are provided as standard.

Filament current and voltage are sensed at the output terminals of the high-voltage connector. This allows the filament current limit to be set very close to the maximum operating current of the tube, as current sense is far more accurate than the traditional primary side sensing. This affords better protection of the X-ray tube’s filament and permits maximum use of its capabilities.

The supplies use microcontrollers to provide a versatile sub-system. Non-volatile memory within the microcontroller is used to store critical tube parameters, which can be called up via the RS232 interface. Parameters such as maximum beam current, maximum filament current, maximum voltage and maximum power can be stored for each tube that a customer wishes to use. This ensures that the generator never exceeds the maximum parameters of the tube. There is also a facility to log how long the generator has been running, the maximum ambient temperature, and the maximum temperature of critical components within the generator.

A digital bus system is used for internal communications, which means that the generators are easily upgradeable to suit specific customer requirements without the need for hardware changes.