A mechanism for cooling the anode of an x-ray tube using a phase change material to transfer heat away from the anode. The x-ray tube is joined to a sealed heat exchange chamber which contains a liquid metal as a liquid to vapor phase change material (L-V PCM). The back side of the anode is exposed to an interior of the heat exchange chamber, and a jet sprayer inside the heat exchange chamber sprays a liquid of the metal onto the back side of the heated anode. The L-C PCM evaporates on that surface to carry away the heat, and the vapor then condenses back into the liquid on the cool surfaces of the heat exchange chamber. The surfaces of the heat exchange chamber may be cooled by convection cooling. Optionally, pipes containing a circulating cooling fluid may be provide inside the heat exchange chamber.

According to one embodiment, a rotating-anode X-ray tube assembly includes a rotating-anode X-ray tube, a housing, a coolant, a first shell, an X-ray shielding member, a second shell and an air introduction unit. The first shell is provided apart from the housing and an envelope of the rotating-anode X-ray tube, and surrounds the envelope. The X-ray shielding member is provided between the first shell and the housing and apart from the housing. The second shell is provided apart from the housing to cause an airway to be formed between the second shell and the housing. The air introduction unit produces a flow of air in the airway.

An X-ray inspection system of the present application is capable of blocking the effect of heat from an X-ray source, thereby making it possible to place a heat-sensitive circuit component in the same housing space as the X-ray source. The X-ray inspection system includes a housing 10 provided with an upper housing space 11, in which an X-ray source 32 housed in a cooling container 30 is placed. Due to pressure of a pump 36, a cooling medium circulates between the cooling container 30 and a heat radiating device 33, thereby suppressing the temperature rise of the cooling container 30. Since the cooling container 30 is placed in the upper housing space 11, the upper housing space 11 serves as a cooling space, suppressing the temperature rise. Therefore, heat-sensitive or heat-producing circuit components can be placed in the upper housing space 11.

A heat pump is used to cool an X-ray tube, and waste heat from the heat pump is used to heat a separate part (a spectroscope, for example). As a result, the X-ray tube can be cooled using the heat pump, and the waste heat from the heat pump resulting from the cooling thereof can be used to heat a separate part. In this way, by heating a separate part using the waste heat from the heat pump, it is possible to effectively utilize heat generated from the X-ray tube so as to reduce the power consumption.

An X-ray generating apparatus comprises a storage housing, an insulating housing arranged in the storage housing, an X-ray generating tube arranged at least partly in the insulating housing, and a plurality of electrical components arranged in the insulating housing. In the X-ray generating apparatus, the plurality of electrical components include a mold transformer, the mold transformer includes a core, an insulator covering the core, and a heat-dissipating path configured to move heat from the core to an external space of the insulator, and the heat-dissipating path includes a hole provided in the insulator to extend from the external space toward the core.

X-ray generating apparatus includes X-ray generating unit having first and second bottom surfaces and side surface; driving circuit; accommodation housing accommodating the X-ray generating unit and the driving circuit; and insulating component arranged in the accommodation housing and having first insulating member arranged between the driving circuit and the accommodation housing and second insulating member arranged between the X-ray generating unit and the accommodation housing. First space is defined between the first insulating member and the accommodation housing, second space is defined between the second insulating member and the accommodation housing, third space is defined between the side surface and the second insulating member, fourth space is defined by the second bottom surface and internal surface of the first insulating member. The second space communicates with the third space, the first space communicates with the fourth space.

An x-ray generating unit includes an x-ray tube that is substantially transparent to x-rays. A cathode is within the x-ray tube and defines a plurality of spaced apart cavities. An anode includes a material that emits x-rays when impacted by electrons. A plurality of filaments is each disposed in a different one of the cavities. Each of the filaments is electrically coupled to each other and to an activating voltage source in parallel. Each of the filaments emits a focused electron beam directed to a different predetermined spot on the anode upon application of a predetermined voltage between the cathode and the anode, thereby causing the anode to generate x-rays. Each of the plurality of spaced apart cavities is aimed at the anode so that each predetermined spot on the anode is separated from each other spot by a gap that is not impacted by an electron beam.

There is provided an X-ray generator and an X-ray inspection apparatus including the same, which can achieve miniaturization and weight reduction. An X-ray tube that generates X-rays, a high-voltage circuit substrate that applies a high tube voltage to the X-ray tube, and a housing which is filled with an insulating oil and in which the X-ray tube and the high-voltage circuit substrate are accommodated, in which a shielding cover made of a shielding material which shields the X-rays is provided in the housing, the X-ray tube is disposed in the shielding cover, and the high-voltage circuit substrate is attached to an outer bottom surface of the shielding cover.

According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are disclosed of systems that may be used for cooling objects, such as X-ray tubes and detectors, etc. Also disclosed are exemplary embodiments of methods for cooling objects, such as X-ray tubes and detectors, etc. For example, an exemplary embodiment includes a system that can be used to cool an X-ray tube and detector with one chiller. As another example, an exemplary embodiment of a method includes using one chiller to cool an X-ray tube and detector.

Disclosed herein is an X-ray source having cooling and shielding functions. The X-ray source includes an X-ray generation unit (100) which has one or more insulation columns (160) and emits X-rays in a vacuum; a cooling unit (180) which is provided around a periphery of the X-ray generation unit and removes heat generated from the X-ray generation unit; and a shielding unit (190) which is provided around a periphery of the cooling unit and shields an area exposed to X-rays other than the areas related to the emission of the X-rays.