Temperature stabilization method

Patent · Tue Jan 20 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:6200149

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 signal 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 4245479
• OSTI ID: 6200149
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420400 -- Engineering-- Heat Transfer & Fluid Flow
440101* -- Radiation Instrumentation-- General Detectors or Monitors & Radiometric Instruments
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CONTAINERS
CONTROL
CRYOGENICS
DEWARS
ENERGY TRANSFER
HEAT PIPES
HEAT TRANSFER
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
PIPELINES
RADIATION DETECTORS
TEMPERATURE CONTROL