Nuclear sensor signal processing circuit
Abstract
An apparatus and method are disclosed for a compact and temperature-insensitive nuclear sensor that can be calibrated with a non-hazardous radioactive sample. The nuclear sensor includes a gamma ray sensor that generates tail pulses from radioactive samples. An analog conditioning circuit conditions the tail-pulse signals from the gamma ray sensor, and a tail-pulse simulator circuit generates a plurality of simulated tail-pulse signals. A computer system processes the tail pulses from the gamma ray sensor and the simulated tail pulses from the tail-pulse simulator circuit. The nuclear sensor is calibrated under the control of the computer. The offset is adjusted using the simulated tail pulses. Since the offset is set to zero or near zero, the sensor gain can be adjusted with a non-hazardous radioactive source such as, for example, naturally occurring radiation and potassium chloride.
- Inventors:
-
- Bosque Farms, NM
- Albuquerque, NM
- Tijeras, NM
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 902650
- Patent Number(s):
- 7180055
- Application Number:
- 11/199,893
- Assignee:
- Sandia Corporation (Albuquerque, NM)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
G - PHYSICS G01 - MEASURING G01T - MEASUREMENT OF NUCLEAR OR X-RADIATION
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Citation Formats
Kallenbach, Gene A, Noda, Frank T, Mitchell, Dean J, and Etzkin, Joshua L. Nuclear sensor signal processing circuit. United States: N. p., 2007.
Web.
Kallenbach, Gene A, Noda, Frank T, Mitchell, Dean J, & Etzkin, Joshua L. Nuclear sensor signal processing circuit. United States.
Kallenbach, Gene A, Noda, Frank T, Mitchell, Dean J, and Etzkin, Joshua L. Tue .
"Nuclear sensor signal processing circuit". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/902650.
@article{osti_902650,
title = {Nuclear sensor signal processing circuit},
author = {Kallenbach, Gene A and Noda, Frank T and Mitchell, Dean J and Etzkin, Joshua L},
abstractNote = {An apparatus and method are disclosed for a compact and temperature-insensitive nuclear sensor that can be calibrated with a non-hazardous radioactive sample. The nuclear sensor includes a gamma ray sensor that generates tail pulses from radioactive samples. An analog conditioning circuit conditions the tail-pulse signals from the gamma ray sensor, and a tail-pulse simulator circuit generates a plurality of simulated tail-pulse signals. A computer system processes the tail pulses from the gamma ray sensor and the simulated tail pulses from the tail-pulse simulator circuit. The nuclear sensor is calibrated under the control of the computer. The offset is adjusted using the simulated tail pulses. Since the offset is set to zero or near zero, the sensor gain can be adjusted with a non-hazardous radioactive source such as, for example, naturally occurring radiation and potassium chloride.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2007},
month = {2}
}