Points of Interest in the Operation of Oil-Immersed Coolidge Tubes at 200 K.V.

Abstract

HIGH tension discharge tubes have been operated under oil almost as long as we have known of X-rays, so that no originality can be credited to my idea of using a deep therapy tube in an oil tank. To be perfectly frank about the matter, I resorted to the method for economical reasons; and fifteen months' operation has convinced me that I was right in the assumption that the cost of installation and upkeep, and the convenience and safety of the method much more than justified the experiment. The present equipment was installed in August, 1923. Prior to this time, I had operated two deep therapy machines, one with an open tube, and overhead high tension lines, at a low altitude; the other with the tube confined in a treatment couch, in an altitude of more than 5,000 feet. In this last installation great difficulty was experienced in preventing creepage along the tube at voltages in excess of 180,000, even with the most corona-proof terminals that could be devised; as soon as an appreciable film of dust colle...