The use of a new potentiostat/coulometer in the controlled-potential coulometric determination of plutonium
We evaluated a PAR 273 potentiostat and PAR 279 coulometer using iron as a stand-in for plutonium. Over 400 tuns consisting of electrical checks, blanks, and iron solutions were made. Manual operation of the instrumentation produced precisions better than 0.1%. Computer control of the instrumentation produced precisions better than 0.1%. Computer control of the instrumentation using a PC and a program written in QuickBASIC produced precisions of about 0.12%. The computer program automatically set up and controlled the instrumentation and recorded the data. The potentionstat`s current autoranging function caused erractic coulometer results. Use of the PAR 273`s low-pass filter (LPF) removed the amperometric end-point current noise, but it also biased the current. The PAR 273A`s LPF filtered the noise without introducing a bias. The coulometer functions, such as current integration and communication interface, occasionally locked up after a current overrange condition. The occasional procedural error revealed that the potentionstat`s ability to produce >1 A current can ruin the coulometer`s impact circuitry, which is protected up to 0.2 A for current ranges <1 A.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 10186154
- Report Number(s):
- LA-12585; ON: DE94001162
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Oct 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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