Tritium pressure measurement
AssigneeKFA Kernforschungsanlage Julich
InventorsRainer Lasser, Karl-Heinz Klatt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The total pressure of pure tritium or the partial pressure of tritium or another radioactive isotope depending upon the calibration is measured utilizing a cylindrical positive electrode, an axial central thin negative electrode coaxial with the cylindrical electrode and a source having a voltage up to 200 V connected in circuits of these electrodes. The circuit also includes a picoampere meter or a high ohmic resistance whose voltage drop is monitored by a digital volt meter so that currents of the order of picoamperes in the circuit can be detected and with appropriate calibration of the unit can provide an output which represents the pressure.
Claims25
An apparatus for measuring the pressure of a gaseous radioactive isotope which comprises:
- a housing provided with a fitting for connection of the housing to a source of said radioactive isotope;
- a cylindrical positive electrode received in said housing;
- a thin negative axial electrode surrounded by said cylindrical electrode and coaxial therewith;
- a source of direct current having a voltage of up to 200 V connected across said electrodes and forming an electric circuit therewith maintaining said cylindrical electrode relatively positive and said axial electrode relatively negative;
- means responsive to an electric current in the picoampere range connected to said circuit for indicating the pressure of said gaseous radioactive isotope in said housing;
- means for measuring the temperature of said gaseous radioactive isotope;
- and
- means responsive to the measured temperature for forming a quotient T/T.sub.o for control of an amplifier with a corresponding amplification to compensate for a difference between a measured temperature T and a calibration temperature T.sub.o.
An apparatus for measuring the pressure of a gaseous radioactive isotope which comprises:
- a housing provided with a fitting for connection of the housing to a source of said radioactive isotope;
- a cylindrical positive electrode received in said housing;
- a thin negative axial electrode surrounded by said cylindrical electrode and coaxial therewith;
- a source of direct current having a voltage of up to 200 V connected across said electrodes and forming an electric circuit therewith maintaining said cylindrical electrode relatively positive and said axial electrode relatively negative;
- means responsive to an electric current in the picoampere range connected to said circuit for indicating the pressure of said gaseous radioactive isotope in said housing;
- and
- means provided with a calibration curve connected to said means responsive to electric current for calibrating an output in accordance with characteristic data for a particular gaseous radioactive isotope of interest.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.