Apparatus for reducing pulse pileup in an elemental analyzer measuring gamma rays arising from neutron capture in bulk substances

Patent · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

OSTI ID:5885568

Marshall, III, J H

The active reduction of the number of analyzed events with pulse amplitudes which pileup has distorted improves measurement accuracy and response time in an apparatus for neutron-capture-based on-line elemental analysis of bulk substances. Within the apparatus, the analyzed bulk substance is exposed to neutrons, and neutron capture generates prompt gamma rays therefrom. A detector interacts with some of these gamma rays to produce electrical signals used to measure their energy spectrum by pulse-height analysis. Circuits associated with this pulse-height analysis also detect the pileup of the signals of two or more independent gamma rays using one or more of several techniques. These techniques include multiple outputs from a special amplifier-discriminator system, which has been optimized for low pulse-pair resolving time and may have adaptive thresholds, and the requirement that the relative amplitudes of the outputs of slow and fast amplifiers be consistent with a single event producing both outputs. Pulse-width measurements are also included in the pileup detection.

• Assignee: MDH Industries, Inc.
• Patent Number(s): US 4152596
• OSTI ID: 5885568
• 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
ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
COAL
DESIGN
DETECTION
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GAMMA DETECTION
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYZERS
PULSE ANALYZERS
PULSE CIRCUITS
PULSE RISE TIME
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATION DETECTORS
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
TIMING PROPERTIES