Wide range radioactive gas concentration detector

Patent · 01 January 1984

OSTI ID:864939

Anderson, David F ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos, NM

A wide range radioactive gas concentration detector and monitor which is capable of measuring radioactive gas concentrations over a range of eight orders of magnitude. The device of the present invention is designed to have an ionization chamber which is sufficiently small to give a fast response time for measuring radioactive gases but sufficiently large to provide accurate readings at low concentration levels. Closely spaced parallel plate grids provide a uniform electric field in the active region to improve the accuracy of measurements and reduce ion migration time so as to virtually eliminate errors due to ion recombination. The parallel plate grids are fabricated with a minimal surface area to reduce the effects of contamination resulting from absorption of contaminating materials on the surface of the grids. Additionally, the ionization chamber wall is spaced a sufficient distance from the active region of the ionization chamber to minimize contamination effects.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4441024
• OSTI ID: 864939
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/250/
absorption
accuracy
accurate
active
active region
additionally
capable
chamber
chamber wall
closely
closely spaced
concentration
concentration detector
concentration level
concentration levels
concentrations
contaminating
contamination
designed
detector
device
distance
due
effects
eight
electric
electric field
eliminate
eliminate errors
errors
errors due
fabricated
fast
fast response
field
gas
gas concentration
gas concentrations
gases
grids
improve
ionization
ionization chamber
levels
magnitude
materials
measurements
measuring
migration
minimal
minimize
minimize contamination
monitor
parallel
parallel plate
plate
provide
provide accurate
radioactive
radioactive gas
radioactive gases
range
range radio
range radioactive
readings
recombination
reduce
region
response
response time
resulting
spaced
spaced parallel
sufficient
sufficient distance
sufficiently
surface
time
uniform
uniform electric
virtually
virtually eliminate
wall
wide
wide range