KRAL Pumps for Computer Tomographs to Combat SARS-CoV-2.

It is now crucial that hospitals have sufficient medical equipment to prevent further spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and contain the pandemic.

An important medical device in the fight against the virus is the computer tomograph (CT). The images of the lungs produced with it form an analysis tool for the diagnosis of the infection. The course of the disease can be monitored and the effectiveness of therapies and vaccines assessed. The data obtained are a high-quality source for researchers.

Since the X-ray tubes in computer tomographs become very hot, they must be cooled permanently. KRAL plays a key role here. As part of a global supply chain for the manufacture of critical medical equipment, such as computed tomography (CT), we produce circulation pumps that are built into the liquid cooling system. KRAL pumps transport the cooling liquid from the cooling units to the X-ray tubes in the CT system. The application poses several problems for the pumps. A very special screw pump from KRAL successfully meets the challenges:

Little space.
Since the detector ring, in which the cooling unit including pump is installed, has only limited space, the pump must be very compact. Canned motor pumps are particularly suitable because, unlike standard pumps, the pump and motor are not separate, but form a single unit. The motor shaft also serves as pump shaft.

Liquid.
The aqueous heat transfer fluid (water with 25 % glycol) has a low viscosity. Due to a special coating of the pump housing, even low-viscosity media can be pumped with high efficiency.

Centrifugal forces.
Due to the high centrifugal forces in the rotating detector ring, the pump must be manufactured with high precision to achieve the required flow rate. Furthermore, the pump must be able to be switched off and on at any time during the rotating process and despite the high centrifugal forces. Centrifugal pumps, for example, are not capable of this.

Volume.
The pump must operate quietly in order to make the examination on the patient as pleasant as possible. The design principle of the canned motor pump - a fully encapsulated system without motor fan - ensures low-noise operation. Gear pumps are considerably louder.

X-ray tubes.
In order to cool the sensitive X-ray tubes optimally and uniformly, the cooling liquid must be conveyed homogeneously without pulsations. Our pumps convey particularly gently and do not generate any pressure pulsations.

Critical application.
Since the pump is used in a critical application and the protection of the patient is the top priority, any leakage of liquid can be ruled out 100 %. The can is a hermetically sealed component and therefore leakage-free.

Canned motor pumps from KRAL master the technical challenges under the most difficult conditions.

 

29.04.2020