General Radiographic Instrumentation

DBR11002 Objective
 Purpose of using high tension cable
 Failure of high tension cable
High Tension Cable  Danger and hazard when dealings
with high tension cable
 Precaution to avoid danger and
hazard when dealings with high
tension cable

By: Suffian Mohamad Tajudin

To Connect X-Ray Tube with

transformer…

Failure of the HT cable

Function of HT Cable
 High tension cable usually used to
supply the sufficient voltage to x-ray
tube.
 Ordinary electrical cables are not able
to transfer thousand volts from
generator to x-ray tube.
 So, HT cable was built from a bunch
of wire to avoid the wire from
melting.
 The HT cable tends to fail at the cable
ends.
 This is due to the added flexing, or
twisting, as the X-ray tube is rotated and
repositioned.
 Failure is usually accompanied with a
pungent, or acrid, smell.
 A metal ‘cuff’ often hides the actual
failure point.

1

 This cuff helps support the cable end
where it enters the tube housing. If
suspicious of the HT cable, you can
fasten ring nut, and slide the cuff out of
the way.
 Then inspect again for an unusual smell.
 Make a comparison with the other cable
end.
SAFETY
 Ensuring safety against HT current by
earthing X-ray tube casing and HT
transformer tank.
Precaution
 Do not attempt repairs or replacement of the HT
cables by yourself. Ask an electrician, or an
electronics technician, for assistance.
 Before disconnecting any wires, or removing the
HT cables, always ensure power is turned off and
unplugged from the power point.
Danger when dealings with HT
cable.
 An electric shock can occur upon contact of a
human or animal body with any source of
voltage high enough to cause sufficient current
flow through the muscles or nerves.
 The minimum current a human can feel is
thought to be about 1 miliampere (mA).
 The current may cause tissue damage or heart
fibrillation (rapid, irregular, and unsynchronized
contraction of the muscle fibers of the heart) if it
is sufficiently high.
First Aid
 In helping a victim of an electric shock, the first
thing you must do is disconnect the power
supply, but only if it is safe to do so.
 Touching the power source may put you in
danger yourself, especially if the line is not
insulated properly.
 If the victim is in contact with something
portable such as a hair dryer, attempt to move it
away using a non-conductive object such as a
broom.
 Don’t even touch the victim until you are sure
the power supply is turned off.
 Be more careful in wet areas, such as
bathrooms, since the salts in water conduct
electricity and electrocuting yourself is also
possible.
 Whenever a HT cable is removed from a
holder, immediately make sure the
cable-end pins to ground. This is to
remove any residual high voltage in the
cable.
 The same precaution applies before
applying grease or any other handling of
the cable end.
 Failure to take this precaution could
cause a severe electrical shock.
2
Both Ends of HTC

 Join with
corresponding
sockets in tube
and tank ports
 Both ends of HTC
 Rigid
 Hard
 Have metallic rods

Connect to High
tension transformer Connect to x-ray tube

 High Tension Cable (HTC) connect Conductor for:

transformer and tube Broad focus
Kilovoltage generated by transformer for Fine focus
application across x-ray tube common
 High tension cable normally carries  Connection to HT Common

highest voltage Transformer Fine

 There are 3 central conductors within

broad
the cable