X RAY GENERATORS

Dr. Satendra Raut Department of Radiology CMS-TH

Introduction
The device that supplies electric power to the x

ray tube. Modifies the supplied energy(115/230 V, 60 Hz AC) to meet the needs of x ray tube. Energy is required for 2 purposes.
To boil the electron from the filament To accelerate these electron from the cathode to the

anode
Includes a timer mechanism . A third circuit to

regulate the length of exposure. All three circuit are interrelated.

Component
Control panel/console
Simple /complex To select appropriate kVp, mA & exposure time.

Transformer assembly
Grounded metal box filled with oil Low voltage transformer for filament circuit. High voltage transformer & group of rectifier for high voltage circuit. Transformer is a device that either increase or

decreases the voltage in the circuit. Rectifier changes AC into DC.

X-Ray Tube Circuits

TRANSFORMER
Used to change the potential

difference of the incoming electric energy to appropriate level. Consist of two wire coils wrapped around a closed core. Primary connected to available circuit. Secondary gives the modified electric energy. When current flows through the primary coil ,it creates a magnetic field within the core ,and this magnetic field induces a current in the secondary coil. Current flows only when the magnetic field is changing i.e. increasing or decreasing ..thus need for an AC current.

Laws of transformer
1. The voltage in the two circuit is

proportional to the number of turns in the two coils. Np /Ns=Vp /Vs 2. The product of voltage and current in the two circuits must be equal .i.e. law of conservation of energy. Vp.Ip=Vs.Is

Types
Step Up Transformer
More turns in the secondary

coil ..Increase the voltage and decreases the current.

Step Down Transformer
Less turns in the secondary

coil..Decrease the voltage and increases the current.

Autotransformer
Used in X ray.

Autotransformer
Consists of a single coil of wire wrapped around an

iron core Law of Transformers still applies Operates on principle of self-induction rather than mutual induction Smaller increases or decreases in secondary voltage than normal transformers Does not electrically isolate primary from secondary circuit

Autotransformer
Provides voltage for x-

ray tube filament. Provides voltage for the primary of the high voltage transformer. Provides suitable voltage for subsidiary circuits. Provides a convenient location for the kVp meter that indicates the voltage to be applied across the x-ray tube.

Filament Circuit
Regulates current flow through the filament of x-

ray tube. The power to heat the filament is provided by a small step- down transformer called the filament transformer. A variable resistor is used in the primary circuit to regulate the current flow.
The use of ohms law Volts=Current (Amperes) X Resistance(Ohms )

High-Voltage Circuit
Has two transformer
An autotransformer (kVp selector located in the control

panel) Step up transformer(Increases the voltage by factor of approx. 600)

Voltage across the primary coil of the step up

transformer can be varied by selecting the appropriate number of turns in the autotransformer. Two meters are placed voltmeter and ammeter meter. The voltmeter is placed in the primary circuit hence the name prereading peak kilovolt meter. The ammeter is placed in the secondary circuit for accurate reading and to minimize the risk of electric shock the connection is made at which the transformer is grounded.

High-Voltage Circuit

Rectification
Is the process if changing AC into DC .

The device is called a rectifier.

Rectifier is a device that allows an electrical

current to flow in one direction but does not allow current to flow in the other direction.
Vacuum tube type (thermionic diode tubes) No

longer used Solid-state type (smaller/more reliable/longer life)

o E.g. Selenium

Semiconductor
The heart of a solid-state rectifier,

usually a piece of crystalline silicon. 4 valance electron Electron must lose/gain energy to move from one energy level to another Electrons in the conduction are relatively free from atomic bonding and may move freely through the semiconductor material. Energy required to bring electron from valance band to conduction band forbidden energy gap. At absolute zero temperature the

E E C T R O N E N E R G Y

CONDUCTION BAND
FORBIDDEN GAP VALENCE BAND

Cont..
Conductors-No forbidden region at normal

temperature and pressure Semiconductor-Forbidden region in the order of an electron volt(eV) Insulator-Forbidden region in the order of 10 eV.

N-type Semiconductor
Impurity with 5 valence

electron added to the silicon lattice. 4 electron forms a covalent bond and one electron is free and this electron is free to move Requires only 0.05 eV to reach the conduction band. Since the electron is donated these impurity are called donor and thus the name N-type E.g. Arsenic & Antimony. One atom for every 107 atoms of Silicon.

P-type Semiconductor
Impurity with 3 valence

electron added to the silicon lattice. 3 electron forms a covalent bond and one electron of silicon is looking for another electron to form a bond. The absence of this electron is called a hole and since hole is positive particle, hence the name P-type. Hole moves in a direction opposite to electron. P-type traps are about 0.08eV. These impurities are called acceptors. E.g. Indium ,Gallium & Aluminum

P-N Junction
Formed by a complex

process in which the P & N materials are diffused into single crystal. N is rich in electron and p is rich in holes so electron diffuse across the junction. An electrostatic barrier is formed that limits the diffusion called depletion layer. Depletion layer has a junction potential (0.7V in silicon) opposite to the designation of material. The device formed by P-N Junction is called diode.

Continued..
If the polarity of applied

voltage is opposite to junction the electron will flow from N to P type called forward bias. If the polarity is reversed the junctional potential will be augmented and no current will flow called reverse bias. The direction of current flow is opposite to the direction of electron flow. A silicon rectifier will resist a reverse voltage of about 1000V and can withstand a temperature up to 392.

Forward bias of a PN diode

Direction of current flow Direction of electron ............ flow Symbol of solid state rectifier P Type material ANODE(-) N-Type material CATHODE(+)

A solid state rectifier

High Voltage: No rectification

High Voltage: Half-wave Rectification

Half-wave Rectification Tube Circuit

The advantage of the rectifier is that they protect the x-ray tube from the full potential of the inverse cycle

High Voltage: Full-wave Rectification

Continued
Even after rectification the

voltage across the tube still fluctuates from zero to its maximum level and x-ray are generated in 120 short bursts each second. The disadvantage of pulse radiation is loss of exposure time when the voltage is in the valleys ..thus bombarding the target with low energy electron and low energy xrays and raised patient dose. Thus a need for a three phase generator..

X-ray Intensity superimposed on the electrical voltage

Three phase generators

Phase 1 at 0 . Phase 2 lags 120

behind phase 1. Phase 3 lags 120 behind phase 2. Advantage.

Produces an almost

constant voltage, because there are no deep valleys between pulse. Higher tube rating (2000mA)for extremely short exposure excellent for angiography.

Three phase transformer

Has 3 sets of primary and

secondary windings. Two configuration delta and wye (star). When same voltage is applied to a wye and delta, the output voltage have the Three basic types same maximum value but there is a 30 shift in the Six pulse, six rectifier phase between the two. Six pulse, twelve The primary winding s are of rectifier the delta configuration,and Twelve pulse the secondary more often wye or both.

Six pulse six-rectifier

The output of

secondary winding is rectified with 6 solid state rectifier. Due to this rectification there will be six positive maximum voltage. Since the voltage supplied never falls to zero, the ripple factor is significantly reduced.

Voltage ripple
Voltage ripple of a DC

waveform is defined as the difference between the peak voltage and the minimum voltage, divided by the peak voltage and multiplied by 100. Load ripple factor is always greater then the theoretical ripple.
Vm ax Vm in 100 Vm ax

% voltage ripple

Six pulse twelve rectifier

Secondary winding a

double wye connection. Still is a 6 pulse circuit with a ripple factor 13.5%. The advantage
Has a fixed potential to

the ground. Allows a 150 kV generator to have a transformer that provides a voltage of 75kV to +75kV . Thus simplifying insulating requirement.

Twelve pulse
Secondary winding is

a wye and a delta connection. Output of delta will lag wye by 30. Thus a twelve pulse. So output of one will fill in the ripple of other. Theoretical ripple is reduced to 3.5% with a load ripple factor of

Power Storage Generator

Provides a means of supplying power for the x-

ray tube independent of external power supply. Useful for mobile units Two types
Capacitor discharge generator Battery-powered generator

Capacitor discharge generator

Electrical device for

storing charge, or electron. Charged by the use of a step up transformer and rectifier. Discharged through x-ray tube, usually a grid controlled These provides very short mA (up to 500mA) for very short exposure time Disadvantage falling of kV during exposure about 1kV for 1mAs limited usefulness in radiography of thick body parts. Must be charged

Battery powered generator

Large capacity nickel-

cadmium batteries. Can operate completely independent of connection to outside power supply. Advantages
Store considerable

energy(10,000mAs) Exposure independent of power supply Provides constant

Medium frequency generator

Uses the principle of high frequency current to produce an

almost constant voltage to the x-ray tube with a transformer of small size. Basic principle-the voltage induced in the secondary coil is proportional to the rate of change of current in the primary coil. Small sized generator. Provides a constant voltage . V(output voltage)=f.n.A
F-frequency N-number of windings A-core crosssectional area.

Transformer Rating
The maximum safe

output of its secondary windings in kilowatts. For 3 phase generator For single phase generator Factor 0.7 because in single phase generator the voltage varies from zero to some peak value. The average voltage is RMS voltage and in single phase 1/2.peak Kilowatt rating are when the generator is under load.

kW
kW

kV mA 1000

kV mA0.7 1000

Exposure Switching
A device that turns the high voltage applied to the

x-ray tube on and off. Should switch off the current in the circuit very rapidly and remove all the energy that is stored in the voltage smoothing networks. Two categories of switching
Primary Switching Secondary Switching

Primary Switching
Occurs in primary circuit. Most general purpose 3 phase units. Three types Electromechanical contractors Thyratrons Solid state silicon controlled rectifiers Silicon Controlled rectifier/Thyristers Electrons can easily flow from N to P Will not flow from P to N A small positive voltage(logical signal)

applied at gate , the reverse bias at the PN junction is overcome and electron flow through the thyrister. The response is instantaneous so useful when fast switching is necessary. The electrons will not flow from anode to cathode because of the 2 PN Junction.

Secondary Switching
Occurs in the secondary circuit

Used in units designed for rapid, repetitive

exposure or where short exposure is needed. Uses in Angiography and cineflurography Switches in the high voltage circuit must prevent high-voltage breakdown, so proper insulation. Two types
Triode vaccum tubes.

Grid-controlled x-ray tubes.

Falling Load Generators

To produce an x-ray exposure

in the shortest possible exposure time at its maximum kilowatt rating during the entire exposure. They give shorter exposure time then with a fixed tube mA technique. Delivers the maximum possible mA for the selected kVp by considering the instantaneous heat load characteristics of the x-ray tube Continuously reduces the power as the exposure continues Used with automatic exposure generator where simple operator controls are

mA 600 500 400 300 Total

sec 0.05 0.15 0.1 0.2 0.5

mAs 30 75 40 60 205

Using falling load principle

Exposure Timers
To control the length of an x-ray exposure.

Four basic types

1. Mechanical timers(Rarely used today) 2. Electronic timers 3. Automatic exposure control(phototimers) 4.

Pulse-counting timers(Count voltage pulse of high frequency)

Electronic timers
Length of x ray exposure is determined by the

time required to charge a capacitor through a selected resistance. Exposure button starts the exposure and also starts charging the capacitor. Exposure is terminated when the capacitor is charged to a value necessary to turn on associated electronic circuit. Subjected to human error.

Automatic Exposure Control(Phototimer)

Have been developed to eliminate human error. Measures the amount of radiation required to produce

the correct exposure for a radiographic examination. Goal-to produce a satisfactory radiograph with each attempt and reliable reproduction. Essential elements a device that can detect radiation and in response to this radiation produce a small electric current. Three types
1. 2. 3.

Photomultiplier detector Ionization chambers( ionization of gas) Solid-state detector(PN Junction technique)

Can be located in front of the cassette ( Entrance

type) or behind the cassette (Exit type).

Photomultiplier Phototimers
Lucite paddle(Detector) Phosphor Fluorescent screen Emits the light The intensity of light is proportional to the intensity of x-rays

Light gate
Photo multiplier tube(Converts light to electrical energy) Charging of a capacitor and breakage of the circuit EXPOSURE TIMER X Ray Generator

Phototimers

Thank you.