A 2 Pi LIQUID SCINTILLATION COUNTER FOR DETERMINING THE RADIOACTIVITY OF LARGE SAMPLES INCLUDING MAN AND ANIMALS

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1960

OSTI ID:4818167

Christian, J E; Kessler, W V; Ziemer, P L

The design and operating characteristics of a 2 pi large volume liquid scintillation counter are described. The counter is used for measuring natural and tracer amounts of added radioactivity in people, animals, and large samples. The detector tank, containing more than 90 gal of scintillator solution, is mounted in a horizontal position and is shielded by 6 in. of steel. The tank has a semicircular center well in which the samples are placed. This well is 72 in. long and has a 20 in. diameter. Six 16 in. diameter photomuitiplier tubes provide good light collection efficiency. A conveyor system permits rapid and convenient loading and unloading of samples. The counter is currentiy being used to count Cs/sup 137/ and K/sup 40/ simultaneously. The counting efficiency for a Cs/sup 137/ point source is 30.5% with an average background of 13,300 cpm, and the counting efficiency for a 3.32 kg potassium chloride standard is 18.6% with an average background of 8,600 cpm. The natural K/sup 40/ level in humans can be determined with an error of less than 2.5% in a counting time of 4 min. (auth)

• Research Organization: Purdue Univ., Lafayette, Ind.
• NSA Number: NSA-16-019075
• OSTI ID: 4818167
• Report Number(s): TID-15659
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ANIMALS
BACKGROUND
CESIUM 137
EFFICIENCY
ENGINEERING AND EQUIPMENT
ERRORS
LIQUIDS
MAN
PHOTOMULTIPLIERS
POTASSIUM 40
POTASSIUM CHLORIDES
RADIOACTIVITY
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SHIELDING
SOLUTIONS
STEELS
TRACER TECHNIQUES