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Small system for tritium accelerator mass spectrometry

Patent ·
OSTI ID:868673
 [1];  [1]
  1. Livermore, CA
+ Show Author Affiliations

Apparatus for ionizing and accelerating a sample containing isotopes of hydrogen and detecting the ratios of hydrogen isotopes contained in the sample is disclosed. An ion source generates a substantially linear ion beam including ions of tritium from the sample. A radio-frequency quadrupole accelerator is directly coupled to and axially aligned with the source at an angle of substantially zero degrees. The accelerator accelerates species of the sample having different mass to different energy levels along the same axis as the ion beam. A spectrometer is used to detect the concentration of tritium ions in the sample. In one form of the invention, an energy loss spectrometer is used which includes a foil to block the passage of hydrogen, deuterium and .sup.3 He ions, and a surface barrier or scintillation detector to detect the concentration of tritium ions. In another form of the invention, a combined momentum/energy loss spectrometer is used which includes a magnet to separate the ion beams, with Faraday cups to measure the hydrogen and deuterium and a surface barrier or scintillation detector for the tritium ions.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
Assignee:
United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
Patent Number(s):
US 5189302
OSTI ID:
868673
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (8)

The LLNL ion source — past, present and future journal December 1990
The AMS program at LLNL journal April 1989
Detection of tritium using accelerator mass spectrometry
  • King, Steven E.; Phillips, Gary W.; August, Robert A.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 29, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-583X(87)90194-7
journal November 1987
Use of the CO2 Source in Radiocarbon Dating by AMS journal January 1989
Determination of tritium using a small Van de Graaff accelerator journal November 1984
Accelerator mass spectrometry in the biomedical sciences: Applications in low-exposure biomedical and environmental dosimetry report May 1990
The LLNL multi-user tandem laboratory journal April 1989
Tritium measurements with a tandem accelerator journal June 1990

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/250/
accelerates
accelerating
accelerator
aligned
angle
apparatus
axially
axially align
axially aligned
axis
barrier
beam
beams
block
combined
concentration
contained
containing
coupled
cups
degrees
detect
detecting
detector
deuterium
directly
directly coupled
disclosed
energy
energy level
energy levels
energy loss
faraday
faraday cup
foil
form
frequency quadrupole
generates
hydrogen
hydrogen isotope
hydrogen isotopes
including
ionizing
isotopes
levels
linear
loss
magnet
mass
mass spectrometry
measure
momentum
passage
quadrupole
radio-frequency
ratios
sample
sample containing
scintillation
scintillation detector
separate
source
source generate
source generates
species
spectrometer
spectrometry
substantially
substantially linear
substantially zero
surface
surface barrier
tritium
zero