Notebook 15

Sammy Puccini

Step 1: Turn on generator to start electricity

-Electricity goes through the line compensator
Step 2: After the line compensator, it goes through the main breaker
-Where the alternating current comes from to power the circuit.
Step 3: Press the exposure switch
-This closes the circuit to start the exposure.
Step 4: Then the circuit goes to the autotransformer
-Where kVp is adjusted
Step 5: Then it goes through the high-voltage step-up transformer
-Voltage goes up so that the x-ray tube has very high voltage to create the
potential difference between anode and cathode
Step 6: Then it travels through the four-diode rectification circuit
-This makes the current only go in one direction through the x-ray tube
- it then goes back to the autotransformer and eventually to the filament circuit
Step 7: Then through the filament circuit variable resistor
-Adjusts the current going to the filament. (mA setting)
Step 8: Next the circuit goes though the filament step-down transformer
-Steps the voltage down and therefore the current increases to cause build up of
electrons
Step 9: Then to the x-ray tube
-This is where the x-rays are created.
Step 10: In the cathode of the x-ray tube the electrons go to the filament.
-The filament provides resistance to electrons to form a thermionic cloud
-When high voltage is released at exposure the cloud can be driven to the anode
target
- This is a small coil of thin thoriated tungsten wire
-At the console a large or small filament wire is chosen. Larger wire will create a
larger focal spot and smaller wire will create a smaller focal spot.
Step 11: The thermionically emitted electrons are forced in the focusing cup with its low
negative potential, this and its shape focuses the electrons in a convergence pattern.
-Focusing cup is a metal cup that filaments are embedded into
-This does not allow them to spread apart and focuses them to the target

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Step 12: At the anode electrons are received from cathode

-X-rays are generated when electrons from the filament cross the tube and interact
with the target
-This conducts them through to connecting cables and back to high voltage
generator, provides mechanical support for target, and efficiently removes heat. Primarily
tungsten
Step 17: Current is sent to the stator (an electromagnetic induction motor), which then
causes the rotor to turn the anode.
-A rotating anode gives a larger target area
Step 13: At the target of the anode x-ray photons are created
-Focal spot is where electron beam will actually hit
-Line focus principle is sued to reduce the effect area of the focal spot
-The effective area is the area of the focal spot that is projected out of the tube
toward the object being radiographed
Step 14: In the target interactions electrons transfer kinetic energy to outer shell electrons
of target atoms, which causes them to emit infrared radiation because of vibration- heat
Step 15: The majority of the x-rays produced at the target are Bremsstrahlung x-rays.
-Incident electrons interact with the electrostatic force field of nucleus
-High-speed electrons from the filament are slowed down as they pass close to the
nuclei of the target atoms.
Step 16: The last of the electrons cause characteristic interactions
-Incident electron interacts with K-shell electron- incident electron continues in
slightly different direction
- A high-speed electron from the filament collide with an electron in the orbit of
the target atom, the electron is knocked out of its orbit, creating an open space. An
electron from an outer orbit then fills this space, when the electron drops, energy is
released as a characteristic x-ray
Step 17: Current is sent to the stator, which then causes the rotor to turn the anode
Step 18: In the envelope the x-ray beam exits through the window
Step 19: The tube housing absorbs any unwanted photons
Step 20: X-ray beam diverges and spreads out as it travels toward and through the patient
Step 21: As x-ray passes through more dense materials they will be absorbed more, and
less dense tissue (like skin) absorb less.

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