PORTABLE HARD X-RAY SOURCE FOR NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING AND MEDICAL IMAGING

A portable hard x-ray source has been developed for nondestructive tes ting, medical imaging, and flash x-ray radiography. The source is powe red by a Marx generator that produces a 200 kV, 1.2 kA pulse of 60 ns full width at half maximum. The x-ray tube is composed of a tungsten a node and a mesh cathode. The time dependence of the voltage, current, and x-ray emission were measured and were in good agreement with compu ter simulations. The simulation model accounted for the 15 capacitors and 15 spark gap switches of the Marx generator and the perveance of t he electron flow across the anode-cathode gap. The simulations indicat ed that the 5 J energy that was stored in the Marx generator was effic iently delivered to the x-ray tube. The measured x-ray exposure, 34 mR at a distance of 30 cm, was in good agreement with the calculated exp osure. X-ray images are presented that demonstrate the capabilities of the x-ray source for medical imaging, nondestructive testing, and fla sh x-ray radiography. [S0034-6748(98)04906-5]