CENO design and manufactured series of slip rings, including pneumatic hydraulic slip ring, today we introduce how pneumatic hydraulic slip ring works in the CT scanner and the working principle.

In the field of medical imaging equipment, pneumatic hydraulic slip ring is the key technology for slip-ring scanning in CT scanners of the third generation and above, which enables patients to complete continuous whole-body measurement without stopping.

Working Principle

The rotating gantry of the CT machine needs to rotate at a high speed of around 200 RPM, and traditional cables cannot meet the requirements of unlimited rotation. The gas-liquid slip ring undertakes two core tasks here:

1. Transmitting high-voltage electricity to the X-ray tube;

2. Cooling cycle: circulating cooling oil through a closed pipeline to control the tube temperature below 50°C.

For example, GE Healthcare's Revolution CT uses liquid metal electric slip rings (gallium-indium alloy), which has a 40% higher conductivity efficiency than traditional carbon brushes, and integrates 12 independent cooling liquid channels with a heat dissipation power of 8kW.

Materials and safety design

Medical equipment has strict requirements on the biocompatibility and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of slip rings. Medical-grade silicone pipes are usually used for coolant channels, and platinum-iridium alloy is used as electrode material to avoid ionization interference. In addition, the dual redundant sealing system ensures zero leakage of coolant to prevent contamination of the scanning cabin environment. Philips ICT series also introduces self-disconnecting safety connectors, which automatically cut off the medium transmission when the speed is abnormal, in compliance with the IEC 60601-1 medical electrical safety standard.

Clinical value

The pneumatic hydraulic slip ring technology increases the CT scanning speed, and with the combination of energy spectrum imaging and other technologies, it can clearly capture dynamic processes such as heart beating. According to statistics, CT equipment using a new generation of slip rings can reduce the patient's radiation dose by 60%, while supporting thin-layer scanning below 1mm, significantly improving the early tumor detection rate.