Abstract: An improved system for gamma-ray spectroscopy characterized by an interface module that controls the injection of electronic pulses as well as separation logic that enables storage of pulser events in a region of the spectrum of a multichannel analyzer distinct from the region reserved for storage of gamma-ray events. The module accomplishes this by tagging pulser events (high or low) injected into the amplification circuitry, adding an offset to the events so identified at the time the events are at the output of the analog to digital converter, and storing such events in the upper portion of the spectrum stored in the multichannel analyzer. The module can be adapted for use with existing gamma-ray spectroscopy equipment to provide for automatic analyses of radioisotopes.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 1, 1989
Date of Patent:
November 6, 1990
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
Inventors:
Jack K. Hartwell, Scott G. Goodwin, Larry O. Johnson, E. Wayne Killian
Abstract: An apparatus and method for the measurement of solids feedrate in a gas-entrained solids flow conveyance system. The apparatus and method of the present invention include a vertical duct connecting a source of solids to the gas-entrained flow conveyance system, a control valve positioned in the vertical duct, and a capacitive densitometer positioned along the duct at a location a known distance below the control valved so that the solid feedrate, Q, of the gas entrained flow can be determined byQ=S.rho..phi.V.sub.Swhere S is the cross sectional area of the duct, .rho. is the density of the solid, .phi. is the solid volume fraction determined by the capacitive densitometer, and v.sub.S is the local solid velocity which can be inferred from the konown distance of the capacitive densitometer below the control valve.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 20, 1989
Date of Patent:
June 5, 1990
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
Abstract: An apparatus capable of producing a combination of magnetic fields that can retain a metal in liquid form in a region having a smooth vertical boundary including a levitation magnet that produces low frequency magnetic field traveling waves to retain the metal and a stabilization magnet that produces a high frequency magnetic field to produce a smooth vertical boundary. As particularly adapted to the casting of solid metal sheets, a metal in liquid form can be continuously fed into one end of the confinement region produced by the levitation and stabilization magnets and removed in solid form from the other end of confinement region. An additional magnet may be included for support at the edges of the confinement region where eddy currents loop.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 18, 1988
Date of Patent:
March 6, 1990
Assignee:
United States Department of Energy
Inventors:
Robert J. Lari, Walter F. Praeg, Larry R. Turner
Abstract: A nondestructive apparatus and method for measuring the mass of a moving object, based on the perturbation of the dielectric character of a resonant microwave cavity caused by the object passing through the cavity. An oscillator circuit is formed with a resonant cavity in a positive feedback loop of a microwave power amplifier. The moving object perturbs the resonant characteristics of the cavity causing a shift in the operating frequency of the oscillator proportional to the ratio of the pellet volume to the volume of the cavity. Signals from the cavity oscillation are mixed with a local oscillator. Then the IF frequency from the mixer is measured thereby providing a direct measurement of pellet mass based upon known physical properties and relationships. This apparatus and method is particularly adapted for the measurement of frozen hydrogen pellets.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 1, 1988
Date of Patent:
February 6, 1990
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
Abstract: This invention is an apparatus for measuring fluid density of mixed phase fluid flow. The apparatus employs capacitive sensing of the mixed phased flow combined with means for uniformizing the electric field between the capacitor plates to account for flow line geometry. From measurement of fluid density, the solids feedrate can be ascertained.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 21, 1988
Date of Patent:
February 6, 1990
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
Abstract: A microvertex particle detector for use in a high energy physic collider including a plurality of parallel superconducting thin film strips separated from a superconducting ground plane by an insulating layer to form a plurality of superconducting waveguides. The microvertex particle detector indicates passage of a charged subatomic particle by measuring a voltage pulse measured across a superconducting waveguide caused by the transition of the superconducting thin film strip from a superconducting to a non-superconducting state in response to the passage of a charged particle. A plurality of superconducting thin film strips in two orthogonal planes plus the slow electromagnetic wave propogating in a superconducting transmission line are used to resolve N.sup.2 ambiguity of charged particle events.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 28, 1988
Date of Patent:
October 10, 1989
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
Abstract: This invention is a switchable neutron generating apparatus comprised of a pair of plates, the first plate having an alpha emitter section on it and the second plate having a target material portion on it which generates neutrons when its nuclei absorb an alpha particle. In operation, the alpha portion of the first plate is aligned with the neutron portion of the second plate to produce neutrons and brought out of alignment to cease production of neutrons.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 6, 1987
Date of Patent:
May 9, 1989
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
Inventors:
Robert E. Boyar, Alexander DeVolpi, George S. Stanford, Edgar A. Rhodes
Abstract: A method and apparatus for nondestructive evaluation of a structure is disclosed. Resonant audio frequency vibrations are excited in the structure to be evaluated and the vibrations are measured and characterized to obtain information about the structure. The vibrations are measured and characterized by reflecting a laser beam from the vibrating structure and directing a substantial portion of the reflected beam back into the laser device used to produce the beam which device is capable of producing an electric signal containing information about the vibration.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 7, 1987
Date of Patent:
April 25, 1989
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
Abstract: A fast FIFO (First In First Out) memory buffer capable of storing data at rates of 100 megabytes per second. The invention includes a data packer which concatenates small bit data words into large bit data words, a memory array having individual data storage addresses adapted to store the large bit data words, a data unpacker into which large bit data words from the array can be read and reconstructed into small bit data words, and a controller to control and keep track of the individual data storage addresses in the memory array into which data from the packer is being written and data to the unpacker is being read.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 16, 1986
Date of Patent:
February 28, 1989
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
Inventors:
Alan E. Baumbaugh, Kelly L. Knickerbocker
Abstract: A self-cleaning rotating anode x-ray source comprising an evacuable housing, a rotatable cylindrical anode within the housing, a source of electrons within the housing which electrons are caused to impinge upon the anode to produce x-rays, and means for ionizing residual particles within the housing and accelerating such ions so as to impinge upon the anode to sputter impurities from the surface thereof.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 2, 1987
Date of Patent:
January 17, 1989
Assignee:
The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy