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Title: Bulk-assay calorimeter: Part 1. System design and operation. Part 2. Calibration and testing

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5253955· OSTI ID:5253955

The Bulk-Assay Calorimeter is designed to measure the thermal power emitted by plutonium-containing samples. The sample power range of the instrument is 1.4 to 22.4 W. The instrument package consists of the calorimeter measurement chamber, the control circuit power bin, and the data acquisition system. Two sample preheating chambers and five calorimeter canisters for containing the samples are included. A set of 32 test points which monitor voltages at points within the calorimeter and its control circuitry are accessed by the data acquisition system. The use of the test points is described. System start-up and checkout are described. Sample assay and preheater operation procedures are given. The data acquisition system and data analysis software are described. The calorimeter was calibrated at 23 points with heat sources from 1.4 to 22.4 watts. The combined measurement error varied with sample power from 1.4% to 0.1% over the range of calibration measurements. Circuit diagrams for the calorimeter and schematics for the data acquisition system are included. (LEW)

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-31-109-ENG-38
OSTI ID:
5253955
Report Number(s):
ANL-NDA-9; ISPO-14; ON: DE82011542; TRN: 82-013818
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Portions of this report are illegible
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English