Design, construction, and testing of a dc bioeffects enclosure for small animals. Final report
Large air-ion concentrations moving in high-strength static electric fields are unique to the environment near high-voltage dc (HVdc) transmission lines. To assess the possible biological effects of this environment, a small-animal exposure system was designed to produce well-characterized levels of the major components of the HVdc environment. Initial steps in the development of this exposure system included studies of various housing geometries and housing materials. Dielectric materials, such as plexiglass and lexan, unacceptably perturbed electric-field and air-ion environments in their vicinity; these perturbations depended on the cleanliness of the housing materials and were spatially and temporally variable. Semiconducting materials were also investigated, with satisfactory results. The final cage design employs semiconducting glass walls which span the entire space between the grounded metal-screen cage floors and the overhead high-voltage electrodes used to generate the exposure electric fields. The surface conductivity of the glass walls is controlled by a system of energized guard strips located on the outer surfaces of the walls. Electric-field strengths up to 100 kV/m and air-ion concentrations up to 10/sup 6//cm/sup 3/ are attainable. Initial dosimetric measurements were also performed as part of this project. The ion current collected by the body of a grounded animal was measured as a function of ion concentration and electric-field strength. The ion current collected by a live animal was observed to be significantly less than that collected by a conducting animal model of similar size and shape. This deviation appears to be due to accumulation of electric charge on the fur of exposed animals. 71 refs., 42 figs., 3 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 5352659
- Report Number(s):
- EPRI-EA-4189; ON: DE85016798
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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