Reduced background scintillation counting

Patent · Tue Mar 17 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6660091

Valenta, R

A liquid scintillation system is described for counting sample optical events resulting from the radioactive decay of a constituent of a sample to be measured in a liquid scintillator while reducing the counting of background events which are all optical events other than sample optical events and which are electrical pulses other than electrical pulses representing a sample optical event. The system comprises: detection means located adjacent the sample for detecting optical events and for converting optical events into electrical pulses; coincidence sensing means for receiving the electrical pulses from the plurality of detection means and producing a coincidence signal when the electrical pulses from the plurality of detection means coincide with each other; burst detection means for receiving the coincidence signals from the coincidence sensing means and the electrical pulses from the plurality of detection means for determining the number of electrical pulses present in a selected interval following each of the coincidence signals; and evaluation means connected to the burst detection means for determining, in response to the number of electrical pulses detected in the selected interval, the extent to which the optical event represented by the corresponding coincidence signal should be treated as a sample optical event or a background event.

• Assignee: Packard Instrument Co., Inc., Downers Grove, IL
• Patent Number(s): US 4651006
• OSTI ID: 6660091
• 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
BACKGROUND NOISE
COINCIDENCE METHODS
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DECAY
DESIGN
LIQUID SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
LIQUID SCINTILLATORS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NOISE
OPERATION
PHOSPHORS
PULSES
RADIATION DETECTORS
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SIGNALS