The X-Ray Tube & Components

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In this video, we will be talking about the x-ray tube and its components.

Without the x-ray tube, diagnostic imaging such as plain movie x-ray, fluoroscopy, and calculated tomography would not exist.

The first generation of x-ray producing tubes was the Crookes tube This simple tube included two electrodes that were positioned at opposite ends of a semi-vacuum tube. Crookes, as well as other physicists, discovered that when high voltage electrical power was delivered to opposite ends of television, that electrons would flow within television in a straight line.

Through the use of the Crooks tube, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen was able to both find X radiation along with producing the first x-ray image.

In 1913 a physicist and engineer named Edward Coolidge developed what would be referred to as the Coolidge tube. The Coolidge tube provided the framework of what we know today as the modern-day x-ray tubes.

This image represents the x-ray tube and parts.

Every x-ray tube is safeguarded by a metal real estate. Within the metal real estate lay both the x-ray tube.

And oil cooling layer. The oil layer is also used to both protect versus electroshock as well as absorbed unneeded leak radiation.

The nationwide council for radiation security requires that radiation leakage need to fall listed below 100 mRoentgens/ h at one meter or 3.2 feet from television.

The parts of the x-ray tube are housed inside a vacuum glass pyrex tube or metal case that is without all gases.

The lack of oxygen gas within television enables higher effectiveness of x-ray production, in addition to helps extend the life of the tube.

Within the cathode lay the focusing cup.

Many standard x-ray tubes will have two filaments within the focusing cup, one small and one big.

The big filament within the cup allows for greater technical aspect, where the little filament is used to increase image detail. The term dual-focus cup is utilized to describe a focusing cup with two filaments.

The filaments used within x-ray production resemble those discovered in older predicament bulbs or kitchen toasters.

The one fundamental difference with x-ray tube filaments is that they are made up of the heat resistant product tungsten,

Opposite to the cathode and focusing cup is the positively charged anode.

I remember the charges of the anode and cathode by, I want an A in class, not C-.
There are two types of anodes utilized in diagnostic imaging,

the fixed and rotating. Fixed anodes are normally smaller and are utilized in both

Portable x-ray systems along with dental imaging systems. Due to their little target area, stationary anodes are limited in their ability to producing high mAs exposures. For instance, a portable x-ray unit with a stationary anode may just be able to produce an optimal exposure of 100 kvp @ 60 mAs.

The Rotating anode, which is identified B, is what you will find in all medical and computed tomography x-ray systems. Turning the anode develops nearly 500 times more surface area as compared to the fixed anode. This increase in surface area enables an increased in Ma settings along with an increase in direct exposure times.

The location where the x-ray photons are developed is called the target location.

The dark pigmentation within the anodes represents the target location of both the rotating and fixed anode.

Tungsten is usually utilized within the anode targets due to its high atomic number of74 This high atomic number not only permits greater heat dissipation but also aids in photon production

This summarize the significant parts of the x-ray tube. More advanced topics worrying the x-ray tube will be gone over in further videos.

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