Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Computed Radiography
Presented by:

Virtual Media Integration

&
Miroslav Omelić
Quaestio materiae, Croatia

Bucharest, February 2010

 Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

What is Computed Radiography (CR)?

• A process by which digital x-ray images are produced without
the use of film
• Uses the same devices producing ionisating radiation as for film
(X-ray tube, Iridium, Cobalt, Linear Accelerator, etc.)
• Image is captured on a flexible, re-usable sheet coated with a
phosphor material called an imaging plate
• Imaging Plate exposed with traditional film cassette and lead
screens
• Imaging plate then scanned by laser scanner producing a digital
image
• Digital image can be enhanced, filtered, annotated, zoomed,
shared and stored
• Imaging Plate then erased and re-used Thousands of times

Bucharest, February 2010

 Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Phosphor Imaging Plate Technology

• Imaging plate coated with a phosphor material sensitive to
ionisating radiation
• Exposure to ionisating radiation excites the phosphor material,
creates a latent image

• Imaging plate then scanned by red laser, image data extracted

and displayed

• Imaging plate automatically erased in scanner by bright

fluorescent light

• Imaging plate ready for re-use in 60 seconds or less

• Imaging plate life predicted at thousands of uses

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Basic Phosphor Scanning Process

Step 1 - Phosphor Excited by Step 2 - Latent Image

X-ray Remains on Phosphor Plate

X-ray photon

excited excited
phosphor phosphor
electrons electrons

Bucharest, February 2010

 Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Basic Phosphor Scanning Process

Step 3 - Red Laser Scanner Step 4 - Detector Creates Pixel
Relaxes Phosphor Electrons

Value Sent to
Memory as
Red Laser
Pixel Intensity

Phosphor
Electrons
Relax, Blue is Detector
Light Emitted Digitizes
Blue Light

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Basic Phosphor Scanning Process

Step 5 - Fluorescent Light Erases
Phosphor Completely to Relaxed
State for Re-Use

Bucharest, February 2010

 Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

EN Standards
EN 14784-1:2007 - Non destructive testing -Industrial computed
radiography with storage phosphor imaging plates - Part 1:
Classification of systems

EN 14784-2:2007 - Non destructive testing -Industrial computed

radiography with storage phosphor imaging plates - Part 2:
General principles for testing of metallic materials using X-
rays and gamma rays

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Comparision
conventional film – imaging plate

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Imaging Plate in Flexible Cassette

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

VMI Flexible Plate Scanner with

Workstation and Monitor

Bucharest, February 2010

 Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Phosphor Plate vs. Film

• Requires less exposure time
• Eliminates double loading due to wider dynamic range of phosphor
material and sharing of digital images
• No darkroom, water, chemicals or hazmat
• Smaller footprint - desktop size
• Media re-usable Thousands of times, data stored on DVD or RAID
Server
• Digital system only requires 220 V power

• Image processing time dropped from 8-1/2 minutes to 1 minute or less

• Digital image can be interpreted, marked and annotated using

mouse/keyboard instead of grease pencil

• Digital image can be shared, e-mailed and exported

Bucharest, February 2010

 Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Comparing Cost Factors

o No Costly Consumables
o No film costs
o No chemistry costs
o No Hazmat Issues
o Chemistry disposal and film
o Decreased Exposure Required
o Decreased exclusion boundaries
o Prolongs useful life of any source
o Use less penetrating sources
o Less man/hours
o Increased Throughput
o Decrease in image acquisition time

Bucharest, February 2010

 Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Software System
Operation
Bucharest, February 2010
 Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Process Flow
1. 35 x 43 cassettes loaded with
imaging plates.
2. Plates exposed with x-ray.

3. Imaging plates removed from

cassette, positioned in feed tray.
4. Software starts scanner.

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

 Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Process Flow
1. 35x43 cassettes loaded with
imaging plates.
2. Plates exposed with x-ray.

3. Imaging plates removed from

cassette, positioned in feed
tray.
4. Software starts scanner.

5. Image named and saved.

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

 Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Process Flow
1. 35x43 cassettes loaded with
imaging plates.
2. Plates exposed with x-ray.

3. Imaging plates removed from

cassette, positioned in feed
tray.
4. Software starts scanner.

5. Image named and saved.

6. Image adjusted for optimum brightness and contrast.

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

 Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Process Flow

1. 35x43 cassettes loaded with

imaging plates.
2. Plates exposed with x-ray.

3. Imaging plates removed from

cassette, positioned in feed
tray.
4. Software starts scanner.

5. Image named and saved.

6. Image adjusted for optimum brightness and contrast.
7. Image interpreted, annotated using software tools.

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

 Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Process Flow
1. 35x43 cassettes loaded with
imaging plates.
2. Plates exposed with x-ray.

3. Imaging plates removed from

cassette, positioned in feed
tray.
4. Software starts scanner.

5. Image named and saved.

6. Image adjusted for optimum brightness and contrast.
7. Image interpreted, annotated using software tools.
8. Image zoomed for further evaluation.
Bucharest, February 2010
Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Sample Images

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Sample Images

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

28000

29000

30000

31000

32000

33000

34000

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Bucharest, February 2010

Computed Radiography for Power Generation and Petrochemical

Thank You …
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Computed Radiography

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Bucharest, February 2010