The alpha spectrometer system for Pu analyses included four alpha detectors and the related
equipment necessary for counting and data printout or storage. The alpha system was located

entirely within the electronics rack. Each alpha unit had a solid state silicon detector that was
sensitive to alpha particles when under a vacuum. The actual counting electronics were contained in
a nuclear instrument module or NIM Bin, with attached power supply providing the necessary
voltage. The alpha pulses were directed through a pre-amplifier and amplifier to shape and increase
the output signal for analyses. The pulses were then put into a gated analogue router (GAR) which

routed the signal to an analogue digital converter (ADC) for spectrometry. The GAR eliminated the

need for four ADC units and thereby directed the appropriate alpha pulses into a selected portion of

the PHA memory.

Spectrum results were displayed on cathode ray tube (CRT) terminals for

manipulation and control.
for final data reduction.

Information was then printed out through the HP9831 computer printer

The gamma spectrometer system for isotopic analyses included three built-in shields to enclose
intrinsie germanium (IG) detectors plus their related electronic hardware. Two permanently

installed shields were constructed of low-background, two-inch steel plate and placed at one end of

the trailer. One shield contained a large-area upright IG coaxial detector referred to as IG~1 and its
companion shield was used for the spare IMP planar detectors (IG-2 through IG-7). Both shields were
designed to accommodate either uplooking or downlooking detector models. When the FPDB
program began in 1979, EIC was authorized to construct a third shield to supplement the laboratory
eapabilities for gamma counting. This shield was made of two-inch lead brick and placed by the
electronics rack. A planar detector was then transferred to the new shield and an uplooking coaxial

detector was installed into the vacant permanent shield. The shields were equipped with plexiglass
liners, sample support shelves adjustable to 1 em increments, and had interchangeable circular

cutouts and rings to hold the samples for the various counting geometries used.

An additional

four-inch lead brick shield was also installed to hold a 2 x 2-inch sodium iodide detector for any

required gross gamma counting.

The IG gamma detector electronics consisted of a pre-amplifier mounted on each individual unit, a
high voltage bias supply in the rack, plus two NIM Bins that contained the amplifiers, ADC, and

Multiplex (MUX) modules necessary to combine and channel the signals to the PHA. Spectrum
results were displayed on CRT terminals and the final data were stored on magnetic tape cartridges
in the HP9831 computer. Electronic readouts for the sodium iodide detector were provided through
a Single-channel analyzer and scaler also mounted on the electronics rack.
The gross alpha and beta counting systems consisted of two standard EIC scintillation alpha counters

(SAC-4), and two EIC Model A-23 large-area gas proportional counters. The SAC-4 units measured

gross alpha on two-inch filter papers and planchet samples for detecting contamination levels in the
RADLAB complex. Both of the large-area alpha and beta counters used chemically pure (CP) grade
methane gas for counting. The beta unit also had a two-inch lead shield to reduce background

interference from cosmic sources.
MS-2 sealers.

Electronic readouts for the units were channeled through mini

Additional low-level counting of alpha and beta was provided by two other instruments.

A Beekman

LS-100C Liquid Scintillation Counter was set up to detect gross alpha on nose swipes collected in the
FRST personnel monitoring program. However, it was also calibrated to count low energy betas. A

low background Canberra 2000 simultaneous alpha-beta counter was set up for beta determinations.
The counter electronics consisted of a high voltage power supply, amplifier/timing single-channel

analyzers, anticoincidence gate-delay, and manual readout scaler/timers mounted in the rack. The
beta unit was a 4n methane gas proportional counter with an 80 pg/em2 window and integral
anticoincidence guard.

The three-bay electronics rack provided the power sources, NIM Bin mounting and
analyzer/processor space for the alpha detectors and gamma electronics modules. Additional
electronic equipment included troubleshooting multimeters, sliding pulsers, cable patch panels and
other digital instruments. All counters and terminal units in the laboratory were cabled to the

electronics rack through an under-floor conduit system. These cables supplied intereonnections for
high voltage power supply, preamplified power, signal and data output. Interconnection coaxial
cables used for high voltage and signals were RG-59/U and RG-62/U, respectively.

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