Al-kitab University ‫جامعة الكتاب االهلية‬

Collage of Medical Technology ‫كلية تقنيات الطبية‬

Department of radiology ‫هندسة قسم االشعه والسونار‬

Report about X-ray tube.

Student preparation :-Abdullah Hussien Abd.

Level :- Second Stage .

Department of Radiology
Subject Name :- Rediodgraphic Procedures
Doctor :- Dina Akram

Year 2019-2020

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1-Introduction
Since its discovery by Konrad Röntgen in 1895, x-ray radiation has been
established as a versatile tool in science, medicine and industry. The field of x-ray
applications in medicine and biology is rapidly evolving and various new
developments such as high resolution x-ray imaging, phase contrast imaging and
microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) demand for radiation sources of high
brilliance, a quantity that measures the number of photons N emitted per time dt,
from an area dA, within an emission angle interval dΩ per frequency interval dν.

In conventional medical x-ray imaging contrast arises from relative differences

in the absorption coefficient, which are usually low in soft tissue. The relative
differences in the refractive index are significantly larger and can be visualized in
phase contrast imaging . Various methods have been proposed for phase contrast
imaging ,but all are based on the interferometric measurement of phase shifts
induced by refractive index variations in the imaged object. The prerequisite to
observe interference is the coherence of the radiation source. While temporal
coherence can be obtained with the aid of crystal monochromizers, spatial
coherence is of particular importance as path length differences between photons
emitted from different parts of the x-ray source have to be much smaller than the
wavelengths λ measuring in the order of only 10−11 m for hard x-rays. High
photon rates at small source sizes are therefore essential in phase contrast
imaging[1].

Another medical application demanding for high hard x-ray beam brilliance is
microbeam radiation therapy . This innovative treatment approach in radiation
oncology employs arrays of planar micrometre wide x-ray beams with

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unconventionally high radiation doses of several hundred Grays, separated by a
few hundred micrometre wide low dose regions for the treatment of tumours.

2-Types of X-Ray tube

2.1 Coolidge tube (hot cathode tube)

In the Coolidge tube, the electrons are produced by thermionic effect from a
tungsten filament heated by an electric current. The filament is the cathode of the
tube. The high voltage potential is between the cathode and the anode, the
electrons are thus accelerated, and then hit the anode.

There are two designs: end-window tubes and side-window tubes. End window
tubes usually have "transmission target" which is thin enough to allow X-rays to
pass through the target (X-rays are emitted in the same direction as the electrons
are moving.) In one common type of end-window tube, the filament is around the
anode ("annular" or ring-shaped), the electrons have a curved path (half of a
toroid)[2].

Figure 1: Coolidge tube (hot cathode tube)

What is special about side-window tubes is an electrostatic lens is used to

focus the beam onto a very small spot on the anode. The anode is specially
designed to dissipate the heat and wear resulting from this intense focused barrage
of electrons. The anode is precisely angled at 1-20 degrees off perpendicular to the
electron current so as to allow the escape of some of the X-ray photons which are

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emitted perpendicular to the direction of the electron current. The power of a
Coolidge tube usually ranges from 0.1 to 18 kW.

2.2 Crookes tube (cold cathode tube)

Crookes tubes generated the electrons needed to create X-rays by ionization of

the residual air in the tube, instead of a heated filament, so they were partially but
not completely evacuated. They consisted of a glass bulb with around 10−6 to
5×10−8 atmospheric pressure of air (0.1 to 0.005 Pa). An aluminum cathode plate
at one end of the tube, a platinum anode target . The anode surface was angled so
that the X-rays would radiate through the side of the tube. The cathode was
concave so that the electrons were focused on a small (~1 mm) spot on the anode,
approximating a point source of X-rays, which resulted in sharper images. The
tube had a third electrode, an anticathode connected to the anode[3] It improved the
X-ray output, but the method by which it achieved this is not understood. A more
common arrangement used a copper plate anticathode (similar in construction to
the cathode) in line with the anode such that the anode was between the cathode
and the anticathode.

To operate, a DC voltage of a few kilovolts to as much as 100 kV was applied

between the anodes and the cathode, usually generated by an induction coil, or for
larger tubes, an electrostatic machine.

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2.3 Rotating anode tube

A considerable amount of heat is generated in the focal spot (the area where the
beam of electrons coming from the cathode strike to) of a stationary anode. Rather,
a rotating anode lets the electron beam sweep a larger area of the anode, thus
redeeming the advantage of a higher intensity of emitted radiation, along with
reduced damage to anode compared to its stationary state.[4]]

The focal spot temperature can reach 2,500 °C (4,530 °F) during an exposure,
and the anode assembly can reach 1,000 °C (1,830 °F) following a series of large
exposures. Typical anodes are a tungsten-rhenium target on a molybdenum core,
backed with graphite. The rhenium makes the tungsten more ductile and resistant
to wear from the impact of the electron beams. The molybdenum conducts heat
from the target. The graphite provides thermal storage for the anode, and
minimizes the rotating mass of the anode.

Figure 2 : Rotating anode tube

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2.4 Microfocus X-ray tube

Some X-ray examinations (such as, e.g., non-destructive testing and 3-D
microtomography) need very high-resolution images and therefore require X-ray
tubes that can generate very small focal spot sizes, typically below 50 μm in
diameter. These tubes are called microfocus X-ray tubes.

Figure 3: Microfocus X-ray tube

There are two basic types of microfocus X-ray tubes: solid-anode tubes and metal-
jet-anode tubes.

3-medical purpose X-ray tubes

X-rays are used in medicine for medical analysis. Dentists use them to find
complications, cavities and impacted teeth. Soft body tissue are transparent to the
waves. Bones and teeth block the rays and show up as white on the black
background

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 At the modern stage of medical engineering, the main problem related to X-
ray tubes is obtaining high-intensity X-radiation with ensuring small size of focal
spots. This is especially important for X-ray tubes which are parts of computerized
tomographic scanners, angiographers, mammographic scanners and digital
scanning X-ray devices[5].

At the same time, the problems related with cathodes make the key issue
regarding obtaining the desired X-ray optical characteristics of the X-ray tubes. In
this aspect, focusing of electron beam is the crucial for obtaining focal spots of the
desired sizes. Presently, the most promising solution for obtaining small-sized
focal spots is to utilize flat emitting surface cathodes

The main fields in which x-ray machines are used in medicine are
radiography, radiotherapy, and fluoroscopic type procedures.

Radiography is generally used for fast, highly penetrating images, and is

usually used in areas with a high bone content but can also be used to look for
tumors such as with mammography imaging. Some forms of radiography include:

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 orthopantomogram — a panoramic x-ray of the jaw showing all the teeth at
once
 mammography — x-rays of breast tissue
 tomography — x-ray imaging in sections

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REFERENCES
1. Baldwin, N: Edison: Inventing the century, University of Chicago Press, 2001
2. D. E. Grider, A Wright, and P. K. Ausburn (1986), "Electron beam melting in
microfocus x-ray tubes", J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 19: 2281-2292
3. M. Otendal, T. Tuohimaa, U. Vogt, and H. M. Hertz (2008), "A 9 keV electron-impact
liquid-gallium-jet x-ray source", Rev. Sci. Instrum. 79: 016102
4. T. Tuohimaa, M. Otendal, and H. M. Hertz (2007), "Phase-contrast x-ray imaging with
a liquid-metal-jet-anode microfocus source", Appl. Phys. Lett. 91: 074104
5. Cheney M, Uth R, Glenn J: Tesla, Master of Lightning, Barnes & Noble publishing,
1999.