Notebook 15

Production of an x-ray
Primary Circuit
I. Main breaker
-get power from the institution
-when power switch turned on, the circuit will close
-the electrons excite and flow from the power lines of the institution to the generator of the xray tube.
II. Exposure switch
-permits current flow through the circuit
-when the exposure switch is held down the electrons hit the target of the anode and a
bremsstrahlung or characteristic interaction occurs which creates photons that are radiation
-the line compensator is the first part to receive the current
III. Autotransformer
-double-coiled device that creates electromagnetic induction
-this device gets the step-up transformer ready for the kvp for the correct level for an x-ray by
the kvp selector
-kvp meter then reads voltage from autotransformer
High voltage circuit
IV. Step-up transformer
-device that increase the voltage from low to high
-the current speeds up making the flow of electrons faster when they enter the diode
V. 4 diode rectification circuit
-device that uses direct current and where electron gain a big enough charge to jump from the
cathode to the anode
-electrons will bounce around the diode from P to N crystals, trapping and freeing electrons
and once enough electrons are built up on the cathode they will shoot across to the anode (exposure
switch)
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-occurs as the rotor is pressed down to warm up tube for the x-ray

Secondary Circuit/low voltage circuit

VI. Filament circuit
-modifies the power coming from the main circuit
-this circuit is crucial because the mA is selected
VII. Rheostat
-part of the filament circuit
-varies voltage before the exposure is made
VIII. Step-down transformer
-device that reduces voltage and increases current for build-up of electrons
-the voltage is decreased from primary coil to secondary coil
IX. Rotor/stator
-device, when working together, that initiates the spinning of the anode
-without this device there would be no dissipation of heat which will result in a destroyed anode
target
X-Ray Tube
X. Armature
-part of the electromagnet that helps make electrical current by rotating
XI. Bearings
-responsible for the smooth rotation of the anode
-assembly of the rotor/stator
XII. Target of anode
-part where high voltage electron stream impacts
-electrons interact with target (bremsstrahlung or characteristic)
-photons are created because of the interactions and are part of the useful x-ray beam
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XIII. Molybdenum head/neck of target

-material used for soft tissue penetration
-this material absorbs which
XIV. Tungsten anode
-material used because of its high melting point, heat conduction, and high atomic number
-the electrons hit the target and deflect from it to create x-ray radiation
XV. Focusing cup
-cup used to house the thermionically emitted electrons so they are tightly bound and
accumulate
-last part of filament circuit before the negatively charged electrons shoot to the anode target
XVI. Electron beam
-beam from electrons of cathode that hits the anode
XVII. Envelope
-the covering of the x-ray tube that maintains the vacuum suction between the cathode and
anode which keeps the electrons from flowing everywhere
XVIII. Vacuum
-process of removing air from the tube so that the flow of electrons is smooth from the cathode
to the anode
XIX. Window
-the area the photons travel through before hitting the patient/IR
Interactions needed for x-ray productions
XX. Bremsstrahlung interaction
-incident photon interacts with field of nucleus and changes direction of flow
-bremsstrahlung radiation is emitted form the photon after interaction
-needed for efficient production of photons through kinetic energy
-creates electron energy
XXI. Characteristic interaction
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- incident photon interacts with inner shell electron which creates a hole and creates
characteristic cascade
-when k shell is filled, characteristic photons are produced
-needed for efficient production of photons through kinetic energy
-creates electron energy
XXII. Heat interaction
-infrared radiation created through this interaction
-99% of electrons in kinetic energy is converted to heat

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Reference
1. Carlton, R. R., Adler, A. M., & Frank, E. D. (2006). Principles of radiographic imaging: An art
and a science. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.
2. All About X-Rays. Retrieved November 09, 2016, from
http://www.outerspacecentral.com/x_ray_page.html

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