Enclosure pressure relief mechanism inherent to case design

A radiation detection assembly including:

• an ionization chamber for detecting radiation, the ionization chamber including a volume of pressurized gas;
• an exterior enclosure housing the ionization chamber within an interior volume, the exterior enclosure including a frangible section molded into the exterior enclosure;
• and
• a relief assembly defining a gas flow path from the ionization chamber to the frangible section of the exterior enclosure, the relief assembly being positioned within the interior volume and forming a seal between each of the exterior enclosure and the ionization chamber, wherein the frangible section releases pressure from within the ionization chamber when the pressurized gas within the ionization chamber exceeds a predetermined pressure such that at least some of the pressurized gas flows through the relief assembly and through the frangible section of the exterior enclosure whereupon the pressurized gas is released to an exterior of the exterior enclosure.

A method of reducing pressure within a radiation detection assembly, the method including the steps of:

• providing an ionization chamber including a volume of pressurized gas;
• providing an exterior enclosure that houses the ionization chamber within an interior volume, the exterior enclosure including a frangible section;
• providing a relief assembly that defines a gas flow path from the ionization chamber to the frangible section of the exterior enclosure;
• and
• reducing pressure within the ionization chamber by breaching the frangible section when the pressurized gas within the ionization chamber exceeds a predetermined pressure such that the pressurized gas flows through the frangible section.