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Chapter 6 THE X-RAY Imaging System

Radiologic Technologist (University of Makati)

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CHAPTER 6
THE X-RAY IMAGING SYSTEM

Three Principal Parts of X-ray Imaging System Line Compensator

• X-ray Tube, Operating Console & High • It measures the voltage provided to the x-ray
Voltage Generator imaging system

Radiographic X-ray Tube AUTOTRANSFORMER

• It is attached to an overhead movable crane
assembly Autotransformer
• Location: examination room • It consists of only one winding of wire &
one core
Fluoroscopic X-ray Tube • Function: supplies a precise voltage to the
• It is located under the examination table filament circuit & high-voltage circuit
• It controls the kVp
Examination Table • Location: operating console
• It must be transparent to x-rays as possible • Step up voltage approximately twice the
• Composition: carbon fiber (strong & absorbs input voltage value
little radiation)
Primary Connection
Fluoroscopic Table Tilt • It conducts the input power to the
• Tilt: 90/30 autotransformer
• 90 degrees to the foot side
• 30 degrees to the head side Autotransformer Law
• It states that the voltage receive & provide
High Voltage Generator by the transformer is directly proportional to
• It is housed in an equipment cabinet the number of turns
positioned against a wall • Formula: Vs/Vp = Ns/Np
• It is always close to the x-ray tube
Adjustment of Kilovoltage Peak (kVp)
OPERATING CONSOLE • Major & minor kVp

Operating Console kVp

• Most familiar to the radiologic technologist • It determines the quality of the x-ray beam
• It is used to control the x-ray tube current &
voltage applied to the x-ray tube kVp Meter
• It provides control of line compensation, • It reads voltage (not kVp)
kVp, mA & exposure time • Location: output terminals of the
autotransformer
Radiation Quantity
• The number of x-rays Prereading kVp Meter
• The intensity of the x-ray beam • It allows the voltage to be monitored before
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• Units: mR or mR/mAs an exposure

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Radiation Quality X-ray Tube Current

• The penetrability of the x-ray beam • It is measured in milliamperes (A)
• It is expressed in kVp or HVL (more
precisely)

STEWART C. BUSHONG SUMMARIZED BY: MEYNARD Y. CASTRO

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CHAPTER 6
THE X-RAY IMAGING SYSTEM

Filament Temperature • It is connected at the center of the secondary

• It determines the number of electrons winding of the high-voltage step-up
emitted by the filament transformer
• Rationale: ensures electrical safety
Filament Current
• It controls the filament temperature Filament Transformer
• It is measured in amperes (A) • Full Name: Filament Heating Isolation Step-
• Range: 3-6 A down Transformer
• A step down transformer
Filament Circuit • Functions:
• It controls x-ray tube current o Received the voltage from the mA
selector switch
Space Charge Effect o Steps down the voltage to
• A phenomenon of the space charge that approximately to 12 V
makes it difficult for subsequent electrons to o Provides the current to heat the
be emitted by the filament because of filament
electrostatic repulsion • Primary windings:
o Thin copper
Space Charge o Current: 0.5-1 A
• Electron cloud near the filament o Voltage: 150 V
• Secondary windings:
Thermionic Emission o Thick
• The release of electrons from a heated o Current: 5-8 A
filament o Voltage: 12 V

Precision Resistor EXPOSURE TIMERS

• It is used to reduce the voltage to a value
that corresponds to the selected Guard Timer
milliamperage • It terminates an exposure after a prescribed
time (6 s)
Falling Load Generator
• Design in which exposure factors are Timer Circuit
adjusted automatically to the highest mA at • It consists of an electronic device
the shortest exposure time allowed by the o Make & break the high voltage
high-voltage generator across the x-ray tube
• Exposure begins at maximum mA & it drops o Always done on the primary side
as the anode heats ▪ Rationale: lower voltage
• Result: minimum exposure time
Four Types of Timing Circuits
• Synchronous Timer, Electronic Timer, mAs
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mAs
• The product of x-ray tube current (mA) & Timer & Automatic Exposure Control
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exposure time (s)

• A measure of electrostatic charge (C) Synchronous Timer
• A precision device designed to drive a shaft
mA Meter at precisely 60 revolution per second
• It monitors the x-ray tube current • It cannot be used for serial exposures

STEWART C. BUSHONG SUMMARIZED BY: MEYNARD Y. CASTRO

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CHAPTER 6
THE X-RAY IMAGING SYSTEM

Electronic Timer High Voltage Transformer

• Most sophisticated, most complicated & • A step-up transformer
most accurate (as small as 1 ms) • Secondary Voltage (kVp) > Primary Voltage
• It allows a wide range of time intervals to be (V)
selected • Secondary Current (mA) < Primary Current
• It is used for rapid serial exposures (A)
• Secondary Windings > Primary Windings
Most exposure timers are electronic & are • Voltage Waveform: sinusoidal
controlled by a microprocessor! • Amplitude: only difference in the primary &
secondary waveform
mAs Timer
• Functions: Turns Ratio
o Monitors the product of mA & • The ratio of the number of secondary
exposure time windings to the number of primary windings
o Terminates exposure when desired • Examples: 500:1 & 1000:1
mAs value is attained • Directly proportional to the voltage
o Provides the highest safe tube • Inversely proportional to the current
current for the shortest exposure for
any mAs selected Voltage Rectification
• Location: secondary side of the high-voltage • It ensures that electrons flow from cathode
transformer to anode only
• Applications:
o Falling-load Rectification
o Capacitor discharge imaging system • The process of converting alternating
current (AC) to direct current (DC)
Automatic Exposure Control (AEC)
• A device that measure the quantity of Rectifier
radiation that reaches the image receptor • An electronic device that allows current
• It automatically terminates the exposure flow in only one direction
when the image receptor has received the
required radiation intensity Diode
• An electronic device that contains two
Solid-state Detectors electrodes
• It is used to check timer accuracy (as short
as 1 ms) Valve Tube
• A vacuum tube (original rectifier)
HIGH VOLTAGE GENERATOR • It replaced by solid-state rectifier
o Composition: silicon
High Voltage Generator
• It increases the output voltage from the
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Semiconductor
autotransformer to the kVp necessary for x- • Lies between insulators & conductors
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ray production
• 2 Types: p-type & n-type
Three Primary Parts
P-type Semiconductor
• High Voltage Transformer, Filament
• Have loosely bound electrons (free to move)
Transformer & Rectifiers
• Have spaces called holes (no electrons)
STEWART C. BUSHONG SUMMARIZED BY: MEYNARD Y. CASTRO

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CHAPTER 6
THE X-RAY IMAGING SYSTEM

• Holes: as mobile as electrons Extinction Time

• Ending an exposure
Solid-state p-n Junction
• N-type material placed in contact with p- High Frequency Generator
type crystal • It produces a nearly constant potential
• It conducts electricity in only one direction voltage waveform
• Solid-State Diode: a rectifier • Advantages:
o Much smaller & less costly & more
Electron flow is used when medical imaging efficient
systems are described! o Improves image quality at lower
patient radiation dose
Half-Wave Rectification • It uses inverter circuits
• The voltage is not allowed to swing
negatively during the negative half of its Inverter Circuit
cycle • A high-speed switchers or choppers that
• Diodes: 0, 1 or 2 convert DC into a series of square pulses
• 60 pulses/second
• Disadvantages: Full-wave rectification or high-frequency
o It wastes half the supply of power voltage generation is used in almost all
o It requires twice the exposure time stationary x-ray!

Full-Wave Rectification Capacitor Discharge Generator

• The negative half-cycle corresponding to the • Tube voltage falls during exposure
inverse voltage is reverse • Approximately 1 kV/mAs
• Diodes: 4
• 120 pulses/second Grid-Controlled X-ray Tube
• Advantage: • An automatic lead beam stopper
o Exposure time reduced in half • It stops continues x-ray emission of
capacitor bank
Single-Phase Power • It is designed to be turned on & off very
• It results in a pulsating x-ray beam rapidly
• Disadvantage: • Applications:
o X-ray produced has a value near zero o Portable capacitor discharge imaging
systems
Three-Phase Power o Digital subtraction angiography
• The voltage impressed across the x-ray tube o Digital radiography
is nearly constant o Cineradiography
• 6 pulses/1/60 second • Grid: it refers to an element in the tube that
• Advantage: acts as a switch
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o Voltage never drops to zero during

exposure Less Voltage Ripple
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• Disadvantages: • Greater radiation quantity

o Its size & cost o Higher efficiency of x-ray
production
Initiation Time
• Starting an exposure
STEWART C. BUSHONG SUMMARIZED BY: MEYNARD Y. CASTRO

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CHAPTER 6
THE X-RAY IMAGING SYSTEM

• Greater radiation quality

o Fewer low-energy projectile
electrons pass from cathode to anode

CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH FREQUENCY

X-RAY GENERATORS
Frequency Range Inverter Features
<1 kHz Thyristors
Large silicon-controlled
1-10 kHz
rectifier
Power field effect
10-100 kHz
transistors

Voltage Ripple
• Means of characterizing voltage waveforms

Waveform Ripple Voltage

Single Phase: Varies from zero to
Half-wave 100% maximum
Full-wave 100%
Three-Phase:
6-pulse 14% Never falls below
86% of maximum
value
12-pulse 4% Never falls below
96% of maximum
value

High Frequency < 1% Never falls below

99% of maximum
value

Power Rating (kW)

• Formula: for three-phase & high frequency
o (mA x kVp)/1000
• Formula: for single-phase
o (0.7)(mA x kVp)/1000

Three Main Section of X-ray Imaging System

• X-ray tube, Operating Console & High-
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Voltage
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STEWART C. BUSHONG SUMMARIZED BY: MEYNARD Y. CASTRO

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