Never ran into this before--Need Help

[kbrandt]

I just looked at a health care facility and they are getting a new x-ray machine.

Here's the question old machine was 480 volt and 480 volt breaker is in the room where x-rays are taken and new machine is 240 volt, they have a 50 KVA transformer to knock down the voltage and want it installed in same room where the breaker is located and the patients lay down and get x-rays and this transformer will be less than 5 feet from the table they use to x-ray patients. Don't seem like a good ideal to me.

I looked in NEC and found nothing or just missed it. Any help would be great.

Thanks

 

[GoldDigger]

Stray magnetic fields from the transformer will not affect the x-ray image, but might cause concern from the manufacturer.
Some patients who have strong feelings about EMF effects might object if they can see the transformer.
But a properly selected and well built transformer should not have much in the way of stray fields.

 

[chris kennedy]

I like the idea, those rooms are always freezing. Put shirt and shorts on tranny, get X-Ray, put on toasty warm cloths.:thumbsup:

 

[cowboyjwc]

I like the idea, those rooms are always freezing. Put shirt and shorts on tranny, get X-Ray, put on toasty warm cloths.:thumbsup:

You're a thinker Chris.:happyyes:

 

[kwired]

Some patients who have strong feelings about EMF effects might object if they can see the transformer.

They have to know what it is before they will be concerned. Most of them only know what a substation transformer is, and maybe what high voltage transmission lines are. Same people are probably scared of X-rays anyway. They definitely have to be scared of MRI technology.:happyyes:

 

[steve66]

I just looked at a health care facility and they are getting a new x-ray machine.

Here's the question old machine was 480 volt and 480 volt breaker is in the room where x-rays are taken and new machine is 240 volt, they have a 50 KVA transformer to knock down the voltage and want it installed in same room where the breaker is located and the patients lay down and get x-rays and this transformer will be less than 5 feet from the table they use to x-ray patients. Don't seem like a good ideal to me.

I looked in NEC and found nothing or just missed it. Any help would be great.

Thanks

I don't see a problem with it as long as everything is grounded and wired to code. In fact, I think its actually fairly common to have a step up or step down transformer in the room. In some cases, the xray vendor will provide these as an option. And I believe the xray generator is basically another transformer anyway.

 

[kwired]

And I believe the xray generator is basically another transformer anyway.

Probably "contains a transformer" would be more correct:ashamed1:

 

[kwired]

I just looked at a health care facility and they are getting a new x-ray machine.

Here's the question old machine was 480 volt and 480 volt breaker is in the room where x-rays are taken and new machine is 240 volt, they have a 50 KVA transformer to knock down the voltage and want it installed in same room where the breaker is located and the patients lay down and get x-rays and this transformer will be less than 5 feet from the table they use to x-ray patients. Don't seem like a good ideal to me.

I looked in NEC and found nothing or just missed it. Any help would be great.

Thanks

Is it new or used? If new, I can't understand why they wouldn't have ordered another 480 volt unit if that is what was there in the first place. I have somewhat limited experience with X-ray machines, but what experience I do have they are very particular about voltage drop, 480 volts is easier to deal with voltage drop than 240 is for the same sized unit.