Test and evaluation of the Argonne BPAC10 Series air chamber calorimeter designed for 20 minute measurements
- Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
This paper is the final report on DOE-OSS Task ANLE88002 Fast Air Chamber Calorimetry.'' The task objective was to design, construct, and test an isothermal air chamber calorimeter for plutonium assay of bulk samples that would meet the following requirements for sample power measurement: average sample measurement time less than 20 minutes. Measurement of samples with power output up to 10 W. Precision of better than 1% RSD for sample power greater than 1 W. Precision better than 0.010 watt SD, for sample power less than 1 W. This report gives a description of the calorimeter hardware and software and discusses the test results. The instrument operating procedure, included as an appendix, gives examples of typical input/output and explains the menu driven software. Sample measurement time of less than 20 minutes was attained by pre-equilibration of the samples in low cost precision preheaters and by prediction of equilibrium measurements. Tests at the TA55 Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory, on typical samples, indicates that the instrument meets all the measurement requirements.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/NE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 6240246
- Report Number(s):
- ANL-90/36; ON: DE91004653; TRN: 90-037690
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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