Temperature stabilization system

Patent · Tue Apr 29 04:00:00 EDT 1980

OSTI ID:5803355

Peelman, H E; Richter, A P

A radiation detector assembly is enclosed in a heat pipe which is positioned in a dewar flask. A thermo-electric cooler is joined to one end of the heat pipe. The heat exhaust of the thermo-electric cooler is communicated to a heat dissipation device in the form of a fin assembly. A thermistor senses the temperature at the heat pipe. When the thermistor indicates a temperature in excess of that corresponding to a reference signal , a control singal is produced by a control device to cause a power source to operate the thermo-electric cooler to remove heat from the heat pipe to the fin assembly. The vacuum within the dewar flask effectively limits the environmental heat passing to the heat pipe to radiant heat. The detector assembly and temperature stabilization system may extend to the interior of a conduit or other housing containing material whose radiation is to be detected, while the fin assembly is exposed to the atmosphere. In particular, the temperature stabilization system may be used in conjunction with a detector comprising a scintillation crystal optically coupled to a photomultiplier tube in an environment which would otherwise diminish the performance of such a detector by raising its temperature.

• Assignee: Texaco Inc
• Patent Number(s): US 4199953
• OSTI ID: 5803355
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

440101* -- Radiation Instrumentation-- General Detectors or Monitors & Radiometric Instruments
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CONTROL
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
FINS
HEAT PIPES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
RADIATION DETECTORS
REFRIGERATORS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THERMISTORS
THERMOELECTRIC REFRIGERATORS