RADIOISOTOPE EMITTER FOR NUCLEAR BAROMETER.

Abstract

A need exists in the U. S. Army for a practical field barometer having response time of a few seconds and operating in the range of 550-1060 millibars. It is shown that a technique involving alpha attenuation in a variable source-detector distance configuration is capable of measuring to 0.1 mb in the specified range. As a result of the peculiar effect of hydrogen on the attenuation process, however, it is necessary that the dew point in the measuring cavity be held below -15C in order that the calibration of count rate versus density be independent of dew point, assuming that the density is calculated taking dew point into account. If no dew point measurement is made, it is necessary that calculation of density be made without knowing the moisture content of the air. This requires that the dew point be less than -50C in order that the density be calculable with the desired accuracy. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1967
Accession Number
AD0664199

Entities

People

  • Bach Sellers

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Attenuation
  • Barometers
  • Calibration
  • Detectors
  • Dew Point
  • Hydrogen
  • Isotopes
  • Measurement
  • Measuring Instruments
  • Moisture
  • Moisture Content

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Plasma Physics.