Dead time compensation circuit for radiation detector

Investigations for the use of the fast digitizers with [formula omitted] detectors for radiative capture measurements at GELINA

The use of loss-free counting systems makes possible the exact correction for pile-up and dead-time losses during counting of a mixture of short-lived radionuclides even at very high count rates. However, counting statistics cannot be calculated by taking into account only the Poisson distribution of the incoming γ-quanta, such as is done in existing computer programs for γ-spectrometry. At moderate count rates Muller statistic was found to account for the observed variability between duplicate countings; however, at higher count rates the variability of weighing factors was found to be significant in comparison with the Muller statistic. While counting statistics could not be correctly estimated for short-lived species, experiments showed excellent accuracy for initial dead times up to 90%.

Dead time and pileup in pulsed parametric X-ray spectroscopy

Dead time losses in neutron detection, caused by both the detector and the electronics dead time, is a highly nonlinear effect, known to create high biasing in physical experiments as the power grows over a certain threshold. Analytic modeling of the dead time losses is a highly complicated task due to the different nature of the dead time in the different components of the monitoring system (paralyzing vs. non-paralyzing), and the stochastic nature of the fission chains. The most basic analytic models for a paralyzing dead time correction assume a non-correlated source, resulting in an exponential model for the dead time correction. While this model is often used and very useful for correcting the average count rate in low count rates, it is totally impractical in noise experiments and the so-called Feynman-α experiments. In the present study, a new technique is introduced for dead time corrections, based on backward extrapolation of the losses, created by imposing increasing artificial dead time on the data, back to zero. The method is implemented on neutron noise measurements carried out in the MINERVE reactor, demonstrating high accuracy in restoring the corrected values of the Feynman-Y variance-to-mean-ratio.

Decaying source model: Alternative approach to determination of true counting rates at X and gamma ray counting systems

This study presents the development of dead-time compensator with Proportional Integral-Derivative (PID) controller and their implementation in real-time using the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) on a heater-furnace system that constitute the temperature process. Though PID controller is effective to most of the processes, it has draw backs when used to control the processes with significant dead time. Therefore to eliminate the effects of long dead time, the dead-time compensator combined with PID is proposed. The control equation for the proposed dead time compensator is developed using the mathematical model of heater-furnace system and ladder logic program is created in GE Fanuc Versamax PLC. The PID controller is tuned using process reaction curve method and programmed in PLC. The proposed controller has an outer loop control mechanism with dead time compensator which feeds the inner loop PID controller. The effects of dead time on the performance of PID controller are eliminated through the outer loop control mechanism whose output does not contain modelling errors. The results of the proposed dead-time compensator with PID are compared with the results of the conventional PID controller without dead time compensation for both steady state response and servo-regulatory response. The results of the proposed controller show better improvement in the time domain specifications compared to conventional PID controller.

An analog and time digitizer for two-dimensional data acquisition for time-of-flight measurements

Count rate and dynamic range of an X-ray imaging system with MCP detector

Preliminary measurements in a proportional counter with two independently counting wires showed that counting rates up to 10(6) counts s(-1) wire(-1) can be reached without critical loss in the 'true versus measured' linearity relation. Results obtained with a detector containing 30 active wires (2 mm pitch) are presented. With each wire is associated a fast pre-amplifier and a discriminator channel. Global counting rates in excess of 10(7) events s(-1) are reported. Dead-time losses are corrected by use of simple mathematical-modelling functions. Data-acquisition systems are described for one-dimensional (real-time) and two-dimensional (off-line) position-sensitive detection systems.

A particle-gamma angular-correlation measurement system for high counting rates

The performance of a LaBr3(Ce) gamma spectrometer at high count rates was investigated up to an input count rate of 1.3 Mcps. In order to make its pulse processing faster, a preamplifier provided by the detector manufacturer was eliminated, and the signal from the photomultiplier tube was fed directly to a digital pulse processing system. To accomplish both fast pulse processing and good energy resolution, the pulse-shaping parameters were optimized at a low count rate of 1.5 kcps, and then measurements were carried out at various count rates. Input count rates ranging from 1.5 kcps to 21 kcps were produced using a set of 137Cs resin sources, while higher rates between 45 kcps and 1.3 Mcps were produced using a 1.2-GBq 137Cs source. The spectrometer showed an excellent performance for the input rate up to 150 kcps, while the dead time increased rapidly for the input rates above 150 kcps. The system dead time has been improved greatly by eliminating the preamplifier.

For an inverter drive induction motor control system, a typical problem encountered is the nonlinear voltage gain caused by the non ideal characteristics of the power inverter. The switch dead time will introduce waveform distortion and fundamental voltage drop to the system. If not compensated, such distortions will introduce harmonic components which will cause additional loss in the induction machine. Therefore, the impact of harmonics caused by switching dead time are essential to induction motor drive design, especially when the motor is running at low speed. In this paper, a dead time compensation method is proposed. By adding a 6th order resonant controller to the existing current loop PI controller, the negative sequence 5th order and positive sequence 7th order current harmonics caused by the dead time are eliminated. The overall control scheme is implemented in synchronous rotating d-q reference frame. The controller resonant frequency is 6 times to the synchronous frequency, which is calculated with mechanical speed and slip. Experiment results of steady state and dynamic response studies are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

The combined negative bias in gamma-spectrometry due to pile-up and (residual) dead time losses in case of short-lived radionuclides can be corrected for by way of dead time readings. The combined loss-factor depends on the ratio of the time-constants in amplifier and ADC, and on the average decay-constant over the total spectrum during measurement. Both parameters can be determined once and for all for a given routine application. The procedure is applicable up to total dead time fractions of at least 0.3 and thus covers routine instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) practice with short-lived radionuclides.

Anti-Jerk Control of a Parallel Hybrid Electrified Vehicle with Dead Time

Full in-beam PET measurements of 62 MeV protons onto a PMMA target