X-ray tube having rotary anode cooled with high thermal conductivity fluid

A vacuum tube comprising a vacuum chamber including a cathode, an anode having a rotatable track responsive to electrons derived from the cathode, and means for cooling said anode, said cooling means including:

• a) a confined liquid including a metal, the liquid having sufficiently low vapor pressure at the anode operating temperature and chamber pressure so the liquid does not vaporize while the tube is operating, and
• b) a heat exchanger including a stationary solid material having a high thermal conductivity surface in thermal heat conduction relation with the liquid, the liquid being confined in a recirculating path traversing the inner periphery of said anode, said recirculating path defined by a gap between a surface portion of the rotatable anode and the surface of the heat exchanger and a labyrinth at each end of the gap, each labyrinth including an external surface of material that is not wettable by the liquid metal.

A vacuum tube comprising a vacuum chamber including a cathode, an anode having a rotatable track responsive to electrons derived from the cathode, and a means for cooling said track, said cooling means including:

• a liquid metal having sufficiently low vapor pressure at the anode operating temperature and chamber pressure so the liquid does not vaporize while the tube is operating, a portion of the anode including the track being rotatable about an axis, the track being displaced from the axis;
• a closed recirculating flow path for the liquid metal to direct flow internally through the anode past the track, the flow path including first and second portions that extend radially of the axis and a third portion extending longitudinally of the axis in proximity to the axis so the liquid metal is self pumped from the third portion into the first portion and from the second portion into the third portion in response to heat applied thereto by the track and centrifugal force applied thereto by rotation, the liquid metal flowing into the second portion after passing the track and flowing into the first portion before passing the track.

A vacuum tube comprising a vacuum chamber including:

• a cathode, an anode structure having a rotatable track responsive to electrons derived from the cathode, and means for cooling said rotatable track, said cooling means including:
• a liquid metal having a relatively high thermal conductivity and sufficiently low vapor pressure at the anode structure operating temperature and chamber pressure so the liquid does not vaporize while the tube is operating, the liquid being in a closed recirculating path positioned and arranged so it can fill in the gap between a rotatable circumferential surface of the anode structure and a stationary circumferential surface, and means for confining the liquid to a region between said surfaces while the track is rotating and stationary.