X-ray Tube Floor-to-Ceiling Support System

 It has a single column with

 Is contained in a protective rollers at each end, one
housing and therefore attached to a ceiling mounted
inaccessible. There are two rail and the other attached to a
primary parts: floor-mounted rail.
1. Cathode  A variation of this type of
support system is floor support
2. Anode
system.
 Each is an electrode, and any
electronic tube with two Protective Housing
electrodes is a diode. (An x-ray  When x-rays are produced, they
tube is a special type of diode) are emitted isotropically, that
The x-ray tube is rarely seen by is, with equal intensity in all
radiologic technologists. directions.
 X-ray Tube is inaccessible  We use only x-rays emitted
 Internal Components: through the special section of
 Anode the x-ray tube called the
 Cathode window.
 External Components:  The xrays emitted through the
 Support structure window are called the useful
 Protective housing beam.
 Glass or metal enclosure  X-rays that escape through the
protective housing are called
Types of Support System: leakage radiation; they
contribute nothing in the way of
1. Ceiling Support System diagnostic information and
2. Floor-to-Ceiling Support System result in unnecessary exposure
3. C-arm Support System – widely of the patient and the radiologic
used fluoroscopy system. technologist.
Isotropical – Equal intensity in all
Ceiling Support System section
 It's the most frequently used. Window measurement– 5 cm^2
 It consists of two perpendicular
sets of ceiling-mounted rails.
This allows for both longitudinal FIGURE 6-3: Protective housing
and transverse travel of the x- reduces the intensity leakage radiation
ray tube. to less than 1 mGya/hr at 1 m.
 Other positions can be chosen Protective housing guards against
and locked by the radiologic excessive radiation exposure and
technologist. electric shock.
 Some ceiling-supported x-ray
tubes have a single control that A. Leakage Radiation – inside the
removes all locks, allowing the tube
tube to "float.” 1. Additional Patient Dose
 Optional automatic rotation 2. Unnecessary info
around the X-tay tube support B. Scattered Radiation – outside
ads is also available the tube
  Patient is the source of Diameter of Metal Enclosure: 20 cm
scattered radiation (depends Length: 30-50 cm
on the patient’s thickness).
1. CATHODE
Protective Housing Provides:  The cathode is the negative
1. Mechanical support for the ray side of the x-ray tube; it has two
tube and protects the tube from primary parts, a filament and a
damage caused by rough focusing cup.
handling.
2. Contains oil (Diala A Oil or FILAMENT – actual source of
Dielectric Oil) that serves as electrons.
both an insulator against
electric shock and as a thermal o A coil of wire similar to that in a
cushion to dissipate heat. kitchen toaster, but it is much
3. Has cooling fans to air cool the smaller.
tube or the oll in which the x-ray o The filament is approximately 2
tube is immersed. mm in diameter and 1 or 2 cm
long.
Pyrex – Can withstand with the o An x-ray tube filament emits
tremendous heat generated electrons when it is heated.
o When the current through the
Glass or Metal Enclosure filament is sufficiently high, the
 An x-ray tube is an electronic outer-shell electrons of the
vacuum tube with components filament atoms are "boiled off"
contained within a glass or and ejected from the filament.
metal enclosure. This phenomenon is known as
 It is relatively large, perhaps 30 thermionic emission.
to 5o cm long and 20 cm in
diameter.  Thermionic Emission
 The glass enclosure is made of – release of e- from a heated
Pyrex glass to enable it to filament
withstand the tremendous heat – “boiling off of e-“
generated.
Filaments are made of Thoriated
Metal Enclosure Tubes maintain a tungsten because;
constant electric potential between the 1. Higher thermionic emission
electrons of the tube current and the than other metals
enclosure. Therefore, they have a 2. High melting point of 3410°C;
longer life and are less likely to fail. therefore, it is not likely to burn
Virtually all high-capacity x-ray tubes out like the filament of a light
now use metal enclosures. bulb
3. Also, tungsten does not
 The x-ray tube window is an vaporize easily
area of the glass or metal 4. If it did, the tube would become
enclosure, approximately 5 cm, gassy quickly, and its internal
that is thin and through which parts would be coated with
the useful beam of x-rays is tungsten.
emitted. 5. The addition of 1% to 2%
thorium to the tungsten
filament enhances the
 efficiency of thermionic The focusing cup is negatively
emission and prolongs tube charged so that it electrostatically
life. confines the electron beam to a
small area of the anode.

Tungsten vaporization with

deposition on the inside of the
glass enclosure is the most
common cause of tube failure.

Tungsten’s Old Term:

o W – Wolfram
o Atomic Number: 74
o Has melting point of 3,410°
C/3,400° C

Cathode
1. Filament (–)
Diameter: 2 mm
Length: 1-2 cm
+Thorium – 1-2 %
 Thoriated Tungsten
 Purpose:
 Enhances the thermionic
emission
 Prolongs the tube life
2. Focusing Cup or Metal
Shroud (–)
Nickel

ELECTROSTATIC LAW
 Like charges repel, unlike
charges attract

X-ray Tube has two filaments

o Dual Focus X-ray Tube

FOCUSING CUP
 The filament is embedded in a
metal shroud called the
focusing cup.
 Because all of the electrons
accelerated from cathode to
anode are electrically negative,
the electron beam tends to
spread out owing to
electrostatic repulsion.
 Some electrons can even miss
the anode completely.