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U.S. Department of Energy
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Improved analyzer for determining helium-4 in parts-per-billion range. Report of Investigations/1986

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5392356
The Bureu of Mines has modified its parts-per-billion helium-4 analyzer to improve the analytical capabilities of the instrument. The modifications resulted in the following improvements: (1) the analytical precision of the instrument for 10 consecutive analyses was improved to + or - ppb at the 5000 ppb helium-4 level, (2) the helium-4 sensitivity was increased almost tenfold, and (3) the minimum detectable limit for helium-4 was improved to 0.5 ppb. The modifications made to improve the instrument included replacing the ion-source control circuit with a direct-current solid-state design, controlling the temperature of the ion source, stabilizing and reducing the pumping rate of the vacuum system, and optimizing peak integration.
Research Organization:
Bureau of Mines, Amarillo, TX (USA). Helium Field Operations
OSTI ID:
5392356
Report Number(s):
PB-86-205309/XAB; BM-RI-9010
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English