Production of Multiply-Charged Ions of Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe by the Electron-Bonbarded Hot Cathode IoN Source of IPCR

Production of multiply-charged ions of Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe has been studied by use of an electron-bombarded hot cathode type ion source of the IPCR 160cm cyclotron, which is similar to Morozov's source. These multiply-charged ions were accelerated by a 3rd harmonics acceleration mode in the cyclotron and detected with a beam probe fixed at the radius of 55cm. Observed multiply-charged ions are Ne2+, Ne3+, Ne4+, Ne5+, Ar3+, Ar4+ Ar5+, Ar6+, Ar7+, Ar8+, Kr6+, Kr7+, Kr8+, Kr9+, Xe9+, Xe10+ and Xe11+. Relative abundance of each charge state of four elements were measured. In case of Kr and Xe , the intensity of observed multiply-charged ions decreased to 1/3 or 1/4 when the charge number is increased by one. Intensities of Ar4+, Ar6+, Ar8+, Kr6+ and Kr8+ were measured as a function of the operation conditions of the ion source, such as arc voltage, arc power and gas flow rate. It was found that a smaller gas flow and a higher arc power brought about a higher yield in all the measured ions. Obtained current intensities of ion source output are 40?A Ar8+, 600?A Kr6+, 40?A Kr9+, 150?A Xe9+ and 10?A Xe11+ respectively.     

Power Supplies for Cold Cathode Penning Discharge Ion Sources

For the generation of heavy ions at high charge states, the cold-cathode Penning discharge ion source requires a power supply capable of both the high potential essential for striking an arc and the high current for sustaining it. A series-regulated power supply developed at Oak Ridge provides up to 6 kV of striking voltage and up to 12 amperes of arc current. The power supply operates in a constant current mode with the arc voltage dependent on the gas pressure in the ion source. With this source in ORIC, the typical operating conditions are 5 to 10 amperes arc current, 600 to 2000 volts arc potential, and 5 to 20 kW power dissipation in the arc. A larger power supply is planned for extending the arc current to about 25 amperes. Various arrangements, including pre-regulators and multiple power supplies, are under consideration to reduce power dissipation in the series regulator tubes.     

Bethe-bloch stopping power parameters for light projectiles at energies near the stopping power maximum

Recent measurements of the stopping power of H₂, He, O₂, N₂, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe for protons and alpha particles near the stopping power maximum have been analyzed with modified Bethe—Bloch theory in conjunction with an effective charge factor. Satisfactory fits were attained with a single charge state parameter, in general, although the shell corrections used required an increase in prescribed values of about 22% for low velocity protons traversing Ar, Kr, and Xe targets.     

Performance of a Penning Ion Source in the Oak Ridge Isochronous Cyclotron

One year of operation of a heavy-ion Penning source in the Oak Ridge Isochronous Cyclotron has resulted in the acceleration of a number of isotopes of 17 elements, ranging from boron to tantalum. The method of positive identification of these beams and the operational techniques used to develop certain beams are described. Comparison of the extracted particle current for a given charge state with the calculated ionization potential has resulted in a systematic understanding of particle currents to be expected for undeveloped beams. In particular, shell effects and total ionization potential must both be considered in predicting beam intensities. The particle currents of ArR8+ Ar9+ and Ar10+ provide a sensitive test for the comparison of multiple and single impact calculations. The data are in agreement with multiple impact calculations. Also, low energy x-rays emitted from the Penning source have been detected and the observed spectra characterize the two modes of source operation.     

碳分子筛上氪、氙的动态吸附及脱附性能

为筛选快速分离Kr/Xe的材料,研究了不同碳分子筛(CMS)对氙(Xe)和氪(Kr)的动态吸附性能与脱附性能,探讨了压力、气体流量、温度等因素对Kr、Xe的动态吸附系数与脱附率的影响。结果表明,碳分子筛Aladdin TDX-01对Xe的吸附容量最大,其次为光复TDX-01,低温时,Aladdin TDX-01对Kr的动态吸附系数大于光复TDX-01。Aladdin TDX-01碳分子筛对Kr和Xe的吸附能力均随压力升高而增强,随着原料气流量增加而减少,动态吸附系数随着温度升高而降低;采用N₂吹扫对Kr、Xe进行脱附,随着N₂流量增大、温度升高,Kr、Xe的脱附时间缩短。Aladdin TDX-01碳分子筛在25℃、100 kPa条件下对Xe的动态穿透吸附系数为1 283 mL/g,在-50℃、100 kPa条件下对Kr的动态穿透吸附系数为474 mL/g。     

Duoplasmatron Ion Sources

A survey on questions related to the production of multiply charged ions with the Duoplasmatron ion source is given. In spite of differences of the multiply charged ion source and the mass separator type, design considerations show that high containment is a common feature to be attained in both subjects. Multiply charged metal ions are produced by material evaporation into the magnetically confined anodic plasma and auxiliary gas feed into the cathode discharge regions. Energy spreads of ion beams from the low and the high arc current source are compared. The Duoplasmatron ion source proves to be a hygieneous source of high containment that permits the production of medium charge states up to 9+ for xenon at modest energy spread and good brilliance of the extracted ion beam in a high current-low voltage discharge mode.     

A Source for Multiply-Charged Ions and Acceleration of C, N and O Ions by IPCR Cyclotron

The design and performance of the ion source which is now used in the IPCR variable energy cyclotron are described. The source is of the electron-bombarded hot cathode type having two cylindrical cathodes of tungsten and a water-cooled copper anode containing a replaceable molybdenum slit plate. The arc discharge is established continuously but not pulsed. The source is usually operated very stably under an arc power of 1.5 to 3kW with a gas flow rate of 1 to 2 cc/min. The lifetime of the source is mainly limited by the erosion of the upper tungsten cathode at about 24 hours. At present, C4+, N4+, O4+, N5+ and O5+ ions are accelerated up to 48~100, 56~1100, 70~95, 56~125 and 70~125 MeV respectively, and a few micro-amperes of these ions are extracted from the cyclotron. The vacuum obtainable in the accelerating chamber is usually 2 ~ 4 × 10-6 mHg, and the loss of ion beam by the charge exchange effect is comparatively small. Extracted ion beams are used in several experiments for about 1900 hours in a year.     

Indirect assessment of 135Cs activity in the ventilation system of the Ignalina NPP RBMK-1500 reactor

The accumulation of long-lived ¹³⁵Cs isotope in the ventilation system components of the Ignalina NPP Unit 2 was investigated by spectrometric measurements and mathematical modeling. Volumetric activities of fission noble gas and other short-lived isotopes (⁴¹Ar, ^85mKr, ⁸⁷Kr, ⁸⁸Kr, ⁸⁸Rb, ¹³³Xe, ^133mXe, ¹³⁵Xe, ¹³⁸Xe, ¹³⁸Cs) have been measured by gamma spectrometric technique. Modeling of radionuclide transport in the ventilation system provides possibility of determining essential transport parameters: effective gas flow, mean gas retention time, deposition rate of aerosols. Estimated parameters were used for indirect evaluation of difficult to measure ¹³⁵Cs isotope activity in the ventilation system components: a delay chamber and aerosol filters. The results show that the major part of ¹³⁵Cs activity is accumulated in aerosol filters, whereas the total surface activity of the delay chamber is considerably lower. Specific activities of the ventilation system components of the Ignalina NPP Unit 2 are below the clearance levels for ¹³⁵Cs.     

Characteristics of Single Cathode Cascaded Bias Voltage Arc Plasma

A single cathode with a cascaded bias voltage arc plasma source has been developed with a new quartz cathode chamber,instead of the previous copper chambers,to provide better diagnostic observation and access to the plasma optical emission.The cathode chamber cooling scheme is also modified to be naturally cooled only by light emission without cooling water to improve the optical thin performance in the optical path.A single-parameter physical model has been developed to describe the power dissipated in the cascaded bias voltage arc discharge argon plasmas,which have been investigated by utilizing optical emission spectroscopy(OES) and Langmuir probe.In the experiments,discharge currents from 50 A to 100 A,argon flow rates from 800 sccm to 2000 sccm and magnetic fields of 0.1 T and 0.2 T were chosen.The results show:(a) the relationship between the averaged resistivity and the averaged current density exhibits an empirical scaling law as η∝ j~(-0.63369) and the power dissipated in the arc has a strong relation with the filling factor;(b) through the quartz,the argon ions optical emission lines have been easily observed and are dominating with wavelengths between 340 nm and 520 nm,which are the emissions of Ar~+-434.81 nm and Ar~+-442.60 nm line,and theintensities are increasing with the arc current and decreasing with the inlet argon flow rate;and(c) the electron density and temperature can reach 2.0 × 10~(19) m~(-3) and 0.48 eV,respectively,under the conditions of an arc current of 90 A and a magnetic field of 0.2 T.The half-width of the n_e radial profile is approximatively equal to a few Larmor radii of electrons and can be regarded as the diameter of the plasma jet in the experiments.     

复杂混合气体组分在低温活性炭表面的吸附特性

为实现大体积气体中微量放射性气体Kr、Xe同位素的测量,须将混合气体进行浓集并将目标气体吸附于10 mL左右的活性炭源盒中。本实验对混合气体中各组分在活性炭分离柱上的吸附性能进行研究,建立了通过去除其他杂质气体、浓集大体积气体制备放射性Kr和Xe活度源的方法。根据反应堆流出气体和核爆可能生成的气体组分,配制了模拟气体,使用活化的4A分子筛对其中的水和CO₂进行模拟去除,获得了流程中去除水和CO₂的实验条件;选择5个低温点(273、264、255、246、238 K),在低温活性炭柱上对H₂、CO、CH₄、Kr和Xe的吸附特性进行研究,测定了各气体在不同温度下的吸附穿透曲线。结果表明,室温下4A分子筛对水和CO₂有较好的吸附效果。低温下,H₂、CO不易在活性炭表面吸附;CH₄、Kr吸附性质相似;Xe吸附能力较强。低温下难以去除的CH₄可在高温下氧化去除。因此,可根据混合气体中各组分性质的不同实现杂质气体的去除和目标气体Kr、Xe的回收测量。     

用制备色谱法分离氪氙

叙述了通过改变填充5A分子筛色谱柱的载气流速和色谱柱温度,改变氪、氙的保留时间,实现氪、氙分离。分离后,在低温下分别用活性炭收集。结果表明,延长氪、氙色谱柱保留时间的间隔,可提高氪、氙的去污系数;在–80oC低温下,活性炭能很好地收集氪和氙,回收率>95%。     

Heavy Ion Source with Pulsed Magnetic Field

A compact P.I.G. ion source with pulsed field and end extraction is described. The source produces multiply ionized N, C, Ne, A, Kr and Xe. Pulsed currents of C3+, N3+, Ne3+, A3+, Kr3+ , Xe6+ between a few tens of ?A and a few hundreds of ?A have been obtained. Small size and power consumption make it compatible with a Van de Graaff terminal where space and power are at a premium.     

后处理厂释放气体中稳定惰性气体同位素在核保障监督中的应用研究

用Origen2．1计算模式对压水堆元件中Kr,Xe相关同位素与燃耗的关系进行了计算,并估算了后处理厂烟囱释放气体中Kr,Xe各稳定同位素的来源,丰度和原子浓度.^82Kr,^129Xe可用作环境样品中惰性气体同位素的天然本底;裂片^83Kr／^86Kr．^84Kr／^86Kr、^131Xe／^134Xe和^132Xe／^134Xe的丰度比值,可用于指示乏燃料燃耗,进而估算正在被分离的钚同位素组成,并有可能对后处理厂实行保障监督。     

高压下惰性气体晶体的第一性原理研究

利用第一性原理,研究了惰性气体晶体的晶体结构和非金属-金属转变。晶体的焓差显示：氦、氖晶体在高压下未发生结构相变,分别保持六角密堆积结构和面心立方;而氩、氪、氙晶体分别在192、95、40GPa从面心立方结构转变为六角密堆积结构。通过研究惰性气体晶体的能带随压强的变化,发现氦、氖、氩、氪、氙的非金属 金属转变压强分别为22000、319000、578、365、149GPa,这与实验结果接近。     

放射性惰性气体分离与分离材料研究进展

放射性惰性气体氙(¹³³Xe)、氪(⁸⁵Kr)与氩(³⁷Ar)是重要的气体裂变产物,主要产生于核电站反应堆、地下核试验、乏燃料后处理等人类核活动中。放射性惰性气体的快速高效分离、分析与检测在核军控核查、核环境监控、核燃料循环等领域中均有重要意义。利用固体多孔吸附材料在室温环境下从复杂环境气氛中选择性地将目标放射性惰性气体高效吸附分离出来是目前最简单与高效的方法。近些年发展的金属有机框架材料、多孔有机框架材料、多孔有机聚合物等新型多孔材料在惰性气体Xe与Kr的分离上已经展现出优异的性能与良好的应用前景。本文系统性地综述了放射性惰性气体(Xe、Kr、Ar)分离与分离材料的研究进展,并对未来研究趋势进行了展望。     

低温下活性炭吸附分离Kr和Xe

研究了低温下活性炭吸附分离Kr和Xe的方法。Kr和Xe混合气在-78 ℃活性炭吸附柱上进行富集,根据Kr、Xe在活性炭柱上脱附条件的差异实现了Kr和Xe的分离。结果表明,Kr和Xe的回收率均大于90%,Kr样品中Xe的去污系数达10⁴以上,Xe样品中Kr的去污系数达10³以上。     

Characteristics of a High Current P.I.G. Ion Source at Low Gas Pressure

The characteristics of a 10 cm P.I.G. (Penning ionization gauge) discharge and its application as an ion source at a low pressure are given. Using a hot cathode two regions of operation are found, one above and the other below 1 micron. Pulsed ion current reaching 1 Ampere could be extracted from this source through a 10 cm diameter gridded cathode at a discharge current of about 20 Amperesand a gas pressure of 0.5 micron. The cathode discharge current was found to contain electrons. The ion current to the reflector cathode is about 10% of the discharge current.     

在线低能气体离子源

材料中氦和氢积累可引起材料性能的恶化甚至失效。为研究材料内氦和氢的存在形式、氦与氢及缺陷的相互作用、气泡的形成和演变过程以及各种因素的影响,建立一套离子束能量最高20keV的潘宁型气体离子源引出和聚焦系统,与200kV透射电镜联机,在离子注入现场原位观察氦和氢不同注入浓度下材料内部的微观结构及变化过程。对离子源进行氦离子的起弧、引出和聚焦测试。离子源在15–60mA放电电流范围内稳定地工作。在5×10–3Pa和1.5×10–2Pa工作气压下,放电电压约380V和320V。低气压下引出离子束流比高气压下大,且引出束流随放电电流和吸极电压的增加而增加。等径三圆筒透镜有显著聚焦作用,在距透镜出口150cm处,离子束流密度提高一个量级以上。能量10keV左右的氦离子获得束流密度约200nA·cm–2的离子束,可满足多种材料进行在线离子注入和原位电镜观测的需要。     

Study of equivalent efficiency calibration method for radioactive gas source measured on HPGe detectors

ABSTRACT

In view of the complexity of current detection efficiency calibration of radioactive gas sources, a method using solid planar sources to be equivalent to gas sources was studied. For the 50 mL gas source box, an optimal equivalent scheme was selected by Monte Carlo Simulations. Then, the full-energy-peak efficiency curve of gas sources at the measurement position of 25 cm, with source-to-detector distance of 25 cm, was fitted by measuring solid planar sources with known activity. To verify the accuracy of the efficiency curve, ⁴¹Ar, ¹³³Xe and ⁸⁷Kr gases were produced and determined by length-compensated method. Then, their full-energy-peak efficiencies at 25 cm position away from the detector were directly calibrated. The percentage efficiency deviations between interpolation from the efficiency curve and direct calibration are all less than 2.5%, which proves the accuracy of the equivalent method. This calibration method is a general one and can be also used for some other radioactive sample measurements, such as non-destructive analysis of gaseous fission product samples with a suitable source-to-detector distance.