A new scintillator filling system and method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a novel scintillator filling system and method, belonging to the field of scintillator technology. The system comprises a packaging container for encapsulating the scintillator, with photomultiplier tube connection modules provided at both ends of the packaging container for connecting to a PMT, a fiber optic spectrometer, and an irradiation light source; and a scintillator filling device for filling the scintillator into the packaging container. The novel scintillator filling system and method of the present invention facilitates scintillator replacement and enables the reuse of the container.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of scintillator technology, and in particular to a novel scintillator filling system and method. Background Art

[0002] Scintillators are materials that convert high-energy radiation (such as X-rays, gamma rays, and particle streams) into visible light or other easily detectable optical signals. These converted optical signals can then be detected by various optical detection devices (such as PMTs and SiPMs). Scintillator detectors are widely used in medical imaging, nuclear radiation monitoring, high-energy physics experiments, industrial testing, and other fields. Their excellent energy conversion properties make them a vital tool for modern scientific research and technological development. Liquid scintillators are made by dissolving a luminescent solute in an organic solvent. These organic solvents are typically fluid, volatile, have a low flash point, are highly corrosive, and toxic. These solvents pose certain risks during use and require proper packaging.

[0003] In response to the development needs of high-performance liquid scintillators and the diverse and complex physical experimental conditions, the packaging containers of liquid scintillators must not only meet the requirements of good sealing and strong safety, but also be able to replace the canned scintillators, while providing interfaces and plug-ins for various different light detection devices. This not only meets the needs of scintillator performance testing, but also can complete various physical experimental tasks. The integrated packaging method currently adopted by domestic and foreign liquid scintillator manufacturers does not reserve a window for internal scintillator replacement, and its fixed light detection equipment is also difficult to change, which cannot meet the diverse experimental needs. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a scintillator container with the function of replacing scintillators and connecting to various light detection devices, as well as a matching simple and safe scintillator filling device. Based on this, the present invention proposes a new scintillator filling system and method. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a new scintillator filling system to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] The present invention discloses a novel scintillator filling system, comprising a packaging container for encapsulating the scintillator, wherein both ends of the packaging container are provided with photomultiplier tube connection modules, wherein the photomultiplier tube connection modules are used to connect a PMT, a fiber optic spectrometer and an irradiation light source; and further comprising a scintillator filling device for filling the scintillator into the packaging container.

[0007] Furthermore, the packaging container includes a container shell, which includes an outer shell and glass windows symmetrically arranged on both sides of the outer shell; PMT interfaces arranged together with the glass windows are arranged on both sides of the outer shell, and a plurality of universal sealing windows are arranged around the outer shell; filter sleeves are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the outer shell, and a light guide component or a sealing gasket group is arranged on the universal sealing window.

[0008] Furthermore, the outer shell has a square outer wall and a cylindrical inner wall.

[0009] Furthermore, the filter sleeve includes a circular filter sleeve, a square filter sleeve and a threaded filter sleeve that are arranged in sequence, and the circular filter sleeve is located on one side close to the housing.

[0010] Furthermore, the light guide assembly includes a fluororubber ring 1, a light guide and a light guide fixing sleeve arranged in sequence, and the fluororubber ring 1 is located on a side close to the outer shell; the sealing gasket group includes a fluororubber ring 2, a sealing gasket and a sealing gasket pressure arranged in sequence, and the fluororubber ring 2 is located on a side close to the outer shell.

[0011] Furthermore, the light guide fixing sleeve and the sealing gasket are both mounted on the housing via hexagon socket screws.

[0012] Furthermore, the scintillator filling device includes an iron frame, a jacketed three-necked flask is arranged above the iron frame, one of the bottle mouths of the jacketed three-necked flask is provided with an air inlet pipe, and the other bottle mouth is provided with a Teflon tube; one end of the air inlet pipe is connected to the high-pressure gas tank, and the other end is located inside the jacketed three-necked flask; one end of the Teflon tube is located below the scintillator liquid level in the jacketed three-necked flask, and the other end is located inside the packaging container.

[0013] Furthermore, the bracket on the iron frame is located below the air intake pipe for supporting the air intake pipe.

[0014] Furthermore, the interlayer of the jacketed three-necked flask is filled with constant temperature water; a water inlet is provided on the bottom side wall of the jacketed three-necked flask, and a water outlet is provided on the top side wall.

[0015] The filling method of the new scintillator filling system is:

[0016] Step 1: Install the glass window and filter sleeve on the PMT interface, install the light guide assembly or sealing gasket set on the universal sealing window, and retain one universal sealing window;

[0017] Step 2: The scintillator solution is introduced into the jacketed three-necked flask, and the constant temperature water enters the interlayer of the jacketed three-necked flask from the water inlet and comes out from the water outlet to connect with the external constant temperature water system to form a water cycle;

[0018] Step 3: One end of the Teflon tube extends below the liquid surface of the scintillator solution in the jacketed three-necked flask, and the other end extends from the retained universal sealing window to the interior of the packaging container;

[0019] Step 4: Use a high-pressure gas tank to slowly introduce gas into the jacketed three-necked flask through the air inlet pipe. When the gas pressure in the flask reaches a certain value, the scintillator solution is filled into the packaging container along the Teflon tube;

[0020] Step 5: After filling to a certain capacity, pull out the Teflon tube and seal the remaining universal sealing window with a light guide assembly or a sealing gasket assembly.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0022] The packaging container in this invention's novel scintillator filling system and method supports replacement of canned scintillators, making the packaging container reusable, thereby reducing costs. The packaging container can be connected to a variety of light detection equipment, such as PMTs, fiber optic spectrometers, and irradiation light sources, to adapt to diverse experimental scenarios. The scintillator filling device features a controllable flow rate, easy operation, no pollution, and no toxic gas volatilization during filling, resulting in high safety. In summary, the novel scintillator filling system and method of the invention facilitates scintillator replacement and enables container reuse. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the packaging container of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the novel scintillator filling system of the present invention;

[0026] Explanation of the accompanying drawings: 1. Container shell; 2. Filter sleeve; 3. Light guide assembly; 4. Sealing gasket group; 5. Outer shell; 51. Universal sealing window; 52. PMT interface; 6. Glass window; 7. Threaded filter sleeve; 8. Square filter set; 9. Round filter set; 10. Hexagon socket screw; 11. Light guide fixing sleeve; 12. Light guide; 13. Fluororubber ring one; 14. Sealing gasket; 15. Sealing gasket press; 16. Iron stand; 17. Air inlet pipe; 18. Teflon tube; 19. Jacketed three-necked flask; 20. Fluororubber ring two. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] like Figure 1-2As shown, a new scintillator filling system includes a packaging container for encapsulating the scintillator, and photomultiplier tube connection modules are provided at both ends of the packaging container. The photomultiplier tube connection modules are used to connect to the PMT, fiber optic spectrometer and irradiation light source; and also includes a scintillator filling device for filling the scintillator into the packaging container.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the packaging container comprises a container housing 1, which includes an outer shell 5 and glass windows 6 symmetrically mounted on either side of the outer shell 5. The outer shell 5 is made of metal, with a square outer wall and a cylindrical inner wall. PMT interfaces 52, mounted together with the glass windows 6, are mounted on either side of the outer shell 5. Several universal sealing windows 51 are installed around the outer shell 5. Filter sleeves 2 are symmetrically mounted on the left and right sides of the outer shell 5, and light guide assemblies 3 or sealing gasket assemblies 4 are mounted on the universal sealing windows 51. The outer wall of the PMT connection port 52 is slightly higher than the center portion to facilitate installation of the filter sleeve 2 while reducing light leakage.

[0029] The filter sleeve 2 includes a circular filter sleeve 9, a square filter sleeve 8, and a threaded filter sleeve 7, which are sequentially installed. The circular filter sleeve 9 is located on one side of the housing 5. The inner diameter of the threads of the threaded filter sleeve 7 is suitable for circular filter sleeves 9 and square filter sleeves 8 of the same size. The thickness of the threaded filter sleeve 7 is greater than the thickness of the circular filter sleeve 9 and square filter sleeve 8 combined. The inner diameters of the circular filter sleeve 9 and square filter sleeve 8 are designed to accommodate filters of appropriate sizes, and the sleeve thickness is equal to the thickness of the filters.

[0030] The light guide assembly 3 includes a fluororubber ring 13, a light guide 12, and a light guide fixing sleeve 11, which are installed in sequence. The fluororubber ring 13 is located near the housing 5. The sealing gasket assembly 4 includes a fluororubber ring 20, a sealing gasket 14, and a sealing gasket pressure 15, which are installed in sequence. The fluororubber ring 20 is located near the housing 5. The sealing gasket assembly has a thin wall thickness, which facilitates the penetration of radioactive particles. The light guide fixing sleeve 11 and the sealing gasket pressure 15 are both mounted on the housing 5 via hexagon socket head screws 10. The housing 5 has threaded holes that match these hexagon socket head screws 10.

[0031] The installation method of the filter sleeve 2 is as follows: the circular filter sleeve 9 and the square filter sleeve 8 are tightly attached to the PMT connection port 52 , and then the threads of the threaded filter sleeve 7 are connected to the threads at the PMT connection port 52 .

[0032] Installation method of light guide assembly 3: Place fluororubber ring 13 in the matching fluororubber ring groove on housing 5, place the lower surface of light guide 12 tightly against fluororubber ring 13, then put light guide fixing sleeve 11 on the outside of light guide 12, and finally fix it to housing 5 with hexagon socket screw 10.

[0033] Installation method of sealing gasket group 4: place fluororubber ring 20 in the fluororubber ring groove on the housing 5, place sealing gasket 14 tightly against fluororubber ring 20, then use sealing gasket press 15 to press sealing gasket 14 tightly against fluororubber ring 20, and finally use hexagon socket screw 10 to fix sealing gasket press 15 on the housing 5.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the scintillator filling device includes an iron stand 16, with a jacketed three-necked flask 19 mounted above it. An air inlet pipe 17 is installed at one of the openings of the jacketed three-necked flask 19, and a Teflon tube 18 is installed at the other opening. A rubber plug for sealing is provided at the opening, and the air inlet pipe 17 and the Teflon tube 18 are inserted into the rubber plug. The other opening of the three-necked flask 19 can be equipped with various online detection probes to monitor changes in various scintillator indicators. One end of the air inlet pipe 17 is connected to a high-pressure gas tank, and the other end is located inside the jacketed three-necked flask 19. By controlling the airflow in the air inlet pipe 17, the scintillator flow rate is controlled. One end of the Teflon tube 18 is located below the scintillator liquid level in the jacketed three-necked flask 19, and the other end is located inside the packaging container.

[0035] The bracket on the iron frame 16 is located below the air intake pipe 17 and is used to support the air intake pipe 17 .

[0036] The interlayer of the jacketed three-necked flask 19 is filled with constant temperature water, and a water inlet is installed on the bottom side wall of the jacketed three-necked flask 19, and a water outlet is installed on the top side wall. The constant temperature water is used to control the temperature to prevent the scintillator from being overcooled and crystallized or overheated and volatilized.

[0037] According to the novel scintillator filling system described above, the filling method is as follows:

[0038] Step 1: Install the glass window 6 and the filter sleeve 2 on the PMT interface 52, install the light guide assembly 3 or the sealing gasket assembly 4 on the universal sealing window 51, and retain one universal sealing window 51;

[0039] Step 2: The scintillator solution is introduced into the jacketed three-necked flask 19. Constant temperature water enters the interlayer of the jacketed three-necked flask 19 from the water inlet and comes out from the water outlet to connect with the external constant temperature water system to form a water cycle.

[0040] Step 3: One end of the Teflon tube 18 extends below the liquid level of the scintillator solution in the jacketed three-necked flask 19, and the other end extends from the retained universal sealing window 51 to the interior of the packaging container;

[0041] Step 4: Use a high-pressure gas tank to slowly introduce gas into the jacketed three-necked flask 19 through the air inlet pipe 17. When the air pressure in the flask reaches a certain value, the scintillator solution is filled into the packaging container along the Teflon tube 18;

[0042] Step 5: After filling to a certain capacity, the Teflon tube 18 is pulled out, and the retained universal sealing window 51 is sealed with the light guide component 3 or the sealing gasket assembly 4.

[0043] When replacing the scintillator, one of the universal sealing windows 51 of the packaging container can be turned upwards, the sealing accessories can be removed, the internal scintillator can be slowly poured into the waste liquid tank, and the inside of the container can be cleaned with anhydrous ethanol. After cleaning and drying, the packaging container can be filled and packaged with scintillator again according to the above method.

[0044] The embodiments described above are merely descriptions of preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit of the present invention, various modifications and improvements made to the technical solutions of the present invention by persons skilled in the art should fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A new scintillator filling system, characterized by: The invention comprises a packaging container for packaging a scintillator, wherein both ends of the packaging container are provided with photomultiplier tube connection modules, wherein the photomultiplier tube connection modules are used to connect a PMT, a fiber optic spectrometer and an irradiation light source; and a scintillator filling device for filling the scintillator into the packaging container; The packaging container comprises a container shell (1), the container shell (1) comprising an outer shell (5) and glass windows (6) symmetrically arranged on both sides of the outer shell (5); PMT interfaces (52) arranged together with the glass windows (6) are arranged on both sides of the outer shell (5), and a plurality of universal sealing windows (51) are arranged around the outer shell (5); filter sleeves (2) are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the outer shell (5), and a light guide assembly (3) or a sealing gasket group (4) is arranged on the universal sealing window (51); The filter sleeve (2) comprises a circular filter sleeve (9), a square filter sleeve (8) and a threaded filter sleeve (7) which are arranged in sequence, and the circular filter sleeve (9) is located on a side close to the housing (5); The light guide assembly (3) includes a fluororubber ring (13), a light guide (12) and a light guide fixing sleeve (11) arranged in sequence, and the fluororubber ring (13) is located on a side close to the housing (5); the sealing gasket group (4) includes a fluororubber ring (20), a sealing gasket (14) and a sealing gasket pressure (15) arranged in sequence, and the fluororubber ring (20) is located on a side close to the housing (5).

2. The novel scintillator filling system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The outer shell (5) has a square outer wall and a cylindrical inner wall.

3. The novel scintillator filling system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The light guide fixing sleeve (11) and the sealing gasket press (15) are both arranged on the housing (5) via hexagon socket screws (10).

4. The novel scintillator filling system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The scintillator filling device comprises an iron stand (16), a jacketed three-necked flask (19) is arranged above the iron stand (16), an air inlet pipe (17) is arranged at one of the bottle openings of the jacketed three-necked flask (19), and a Teflon tube (18) is arranged at the other bottle opening; one end of the air inlet pipe (17) is connected to a high-pressure gas tank, and the other end is located inside the jacketed three-necked flask (19); one end of the Teflon tube (18) is located below the scintillator liquid level in the jacketed three-necked flask (19), and the other end is located inside the packaging container.

5. The novel scintillator filling system according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The bracket on the iron frame (16) is located below the air intake pipe (17) and is used to support the air intake pipe (17).

6. The novel scintillator filling system according to claim 4 is characterized in that: The interlayer of the jacketed three-necked flask (19) is filled with constant temperature water; a water inlet is provided on the bottom side wall of the jacketed three-necked flask (19), and a water outlet is provided on the top side wall.

7. A novel scintillator filling method, using the novel scintillator filling system according to claim 6 for filling, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1: Install a glass window (6) and a filter sleeve (2) on the PMT interface (52), install a light guide assembly (3) or a sealing gasket assembly (4) on the universal sealing window (51), and retain a universal sealing window (51); Step 2: introducing the scintillator solution into the jacketed three-necked flask (19); constant temperature water enters the interlayer of the jacketed three-necked flask (19) from the water inlet and exits from the water outlet to communicate with the external constant temperature water system, forming a water cycle; Step 3: one end of the Teflon tube (18) extends below the liquid surface of the scintillator solution in the jacketed three-necked flask (19), and the other end extends from the retained universal sealing window (51) to the interior of the packaging container; Step 4: Use a high-pressure gas tank to slowly introduce gas into the jacketed three-necked flask (19) through the air inlet pipe (17). When the air pressure in the flask reaches a certain value, the scintillator solution is filled into the packaging container along the Teflon tube (18); Step 5: After filling to a certain capacity, the Teflon tube (18) is pulled out, and the retained universal sealing window (51) is sealed with the light guide component (3) or the sealing gasket assembly (4).

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