Development of an environmental monitoring station for HPGe detectors

Authors

  • Gleiser Rodrigues de Melo Instituto Federal de Educação Ciência e Tecnologia de Rondônia - Campus Vilhena
  • Guilherme Soares Zahn Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3237-8588
  • Frederico Antonio Genezini Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN-CNEN/SP)
  • Edson Gonçalves Moreira Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN-CNEN/SP)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15392/bjrs.v9i1A.1412

Keywords:

Arduino, HPGe, environmental monitoring

Abstract

Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) is a well-established nondestructive analytic technique where the gamma radiation emitted by an irradiated sample is analyzed using an HPGe detector. The Neutron Activation Laboratory (LAN) of IPEN-CNEN/SP has been performing NAA analyses for over 30 years, and has plans of implementing quality control protocols to their analyses. In this sense, the environmental monitoring of the laboratories where the detectors are used has been performed for many years, in a manual way with no more than 2 measurements per day. In this work, an automated monitoring station based on a microcontroller Arduino UNO board has been developed which comprises four thermo hygrometer sensors for monitoring different parts of the environment, plus a thermocouple for monitoring the inside of the liquid nitrogen dewar. The results obtained allow for a discussion on the performance and adequacy of the sensors.

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Author Biographies

Frederico Antonio Genezini, Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN-CNEN/SP)

Centro do Reator de Pesquisas - CERPQ

Edson Gonçalves Moreira, Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN-CNEN/SP)

Centro do Reator de Pesquisas - CERPQ

References

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SCERVINI, M. Thermocouples: The Operating Principles, Cambridge: University of Cambridge, 2009. Available at: <https://www.msm.cam.ac.uk/utc/thermocouple/pages/ThermocouplesOperatingPrinciples.html>. Last Accessed 03 Jun 2020.

MAXIM INTEGRATED PRODUCTS MAX31855 Cold-Junction Compensated Thermocouple to Digital Converter Datasheet, Sunnyvale: Maxim Integrated Products, 2015. Available at: <https://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAX31855.pdf> Last Accessed: 03 Jun 2020.

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Published

2021-04-30

How to Cite

de Melo, G. R., Zahn, G. S., Genezini, F. A., & Moreira, E. G. (2021). Development of an environmental monitoring station for HPGe detectors. Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences, 9(1A). https://doi.org/10.15392/bjrs.v9i1A.1412

Issue

Section

The Meeting on Nuclear Applications (ENAN) 2019

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