Gas supply system and gas supply method for a gas detector

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of nuclear physics experiment, and particularly relates to a gas supply system and a gas supply method for a gas detector. The gas supply system comprises: a detector cavity provided with a first gas chamber for loading working gas; a gas supply unit connected with the detector cavity, for providing working gas; and a purification unit provided with a micro power pump and a gas purifier, wherein the micro power pump, the gas purifier and the detector cavity are sequentially connected in series, and a one-way loop is formed outside the first gas chamber, for driving the circulating flow of working gas and removing impurities in the working gas. In the present application, the gas supply system is provided with the purification unit, which can continuously remove impurities in the working gas during the operation of the gas detector, greatly reduces the total consumption of the working gas, and reduces the requirement of the gas detector on the sealing performance, so that the gas supply system has the advantages of economy, maintainability and dynamic maintenance of working gas purity.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of nuclear physics experiments, in particular to a gas supply system and a gas supply method for a gas detector. BACKGROUND

[0002] The gas detector is a core device in the field of particle detection, and its performance is highly dependent on the purity of the working gas. The current mainstream gas supply modes are divided into: flow gas supply and closed gas supply.

[0003] The flow gas supply refers to continuously inputting fresh gas from an external gas source to the gas detector to maintain the purity of the gas inside the detector. Although this method can ensure stability, it has significant defects: 1. Low efficiency in the initial replacement process. A large amount of gas (usually about 10 times the volume of the cavity) and a long time (several hours to several days) are needed to purge the cavity of residual air, resulting in double waste of gas and time resources; 2. High cost of gas consumption. The entire working process requires continuous gas supply; 3. When the working gas is a toxic gas, additional complex purification devices are needed, increasing the complexity and risk of the system.

[0004] The closed gas supply refers to sealing the working gas in the detector cavity once to form a static environment, which has the following limitations: 1. Extremely tight sealing requirement. The cavity leak rate needs to be controlled to be less than or equal to 10 -9 Pa・m 3 / s, which poses very stringent requirements for the air tightness of the gas detector; 2. Lack of experimental flexibility. In nuclear physics research, the detector cavity often needs to be opened to adjust the parameters of the gas detector (such as the thickness of the sensitive region, the preamplifier parameters, etc.), and the closed gas supply does not support such operations; 3. Irreversible purity decay. The internal materials of the detector release gas (such as O2, H2O, etc.), which causes the purity of the working gas to continuously decrease and cannot be repaired in situ.

[0005] In nuclear physics experiments, xenon ionization chambers have an irreplaceable advantage in the particle discrimination of heavy ions with a proton number greater than 50. However, due to the high price of xenon gas, the xenon ionization chamber cannot afford the high cost of flow gas supply. At the same time, the closed gas supply has the defects of internal material releasing impurities and low experimental flexibility. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a gas supply system that can have economy, maintainability, and dynamically maintain gas purity. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application aims to solve the technical problems in the related art. To this end, the present application proposes a gas supply system and a gas supply method for a gas detector to achieve the purpose of reducing gas consumption and efficiently and effectively supplying gas to the gas detector.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a gas supply system for a gas detector, comprising:

[0008] a detector cavity provided with a first gas chamber for loading working gas;

[0009] a gas supply unit connected with the detector cavity for providing working gas;

[0010] a purification unit provided with a micro-power pump and a gas purifier, the micro-power pump, the gas purifier and the detector cavity are sequentially connected in series, forming a one-way loop outside the first gas chamber, for driving working gas to circulate and removing impurities in the working gas with the gas purifier.

[0011] According to the present application, the gas supply system for a gas detector further comprises a gas extraction unit connected with the one-way loop for extracting gas in the first gas chamber.

[0012] According to the present application, the gas supply system for a gas detector, the end faces of the detector cavity are respectively provided with a detector membrane window, and the gas extraction unit comprises:

[0013] a vacuum pump connected with the one-way loop;

[0014] a gas extraction cover plate, the end face of the gas extraction cover plate is provided with a groove, and the groove bottom is provided with a gas hole penetrating through the two ends of the gas extraction cover plate;

[0015] the gas extraction cover plate is sealingly connected with the detector cavity by the end face, and the second gas chamber is formed by the groove facing the detector membrane window, and the vacuum pump is connected with the gas hole for simultaneously extracting gas in the first gas chamber and the second gas chamber.

[0016] According to the present application, the gas supply system for a gas detector, the purification unit further comprises a buffer tank, which is connected in series between the micro-power pump and the detector cavity.

[0017] According to the present application, the gas supply system for a gas detector, the gas supply unit comprises a gas cylinder and a first ball valve, one end of the first ball valve is connected with the gas cylinder, and the other end of the first ball valve is connected in parallel between the buffer tank and the detector cavity.

[0018] According to the present application, the gas supply system for a gas detector, the purification unit further comprises a diaphragm valve, the gas inlet end and the gas outlet end of the gas purifier are respectively connected with a diaphragm valve in series, for avoiding the gas purifier from being in contact with air for a long time.

[0019] According to the application, the gas supply system for the gas detector further comprises a gas pressure gauge connected in series between the diaphragm valve and the detector cavity, for monitoring the gas pressure in the first gas chamber.

[0020] In a second aspect, the application provides a gas supply method for a gas detector, applied to the gas supply system as described in any one of the preceding embodiments, and comprising the following steps:

[0021] S1, turning on the air extraction unit to extract air in the gas supply system;

[0022] S2, after the gas pressure in the first gas chamber is less than a set value, first turning off the air extraction unit, then turning on the gas supply unit to deliver working gas to the first gas chamber;

[0023] S3, after the gas pressure in the first gas chamber is equal to the atmospheric pressure, first turning off the gas supply unit, then turning on the micro-power pump and the gas purifier, and making the purification unit continuously run during the working process of the gas detector.

[0024] According to the application, the gas supply method for the gas detector comprises the following steps:

[0025] S11, closing the first ball valve, turning on the vacuum pump and the second ball valve, and performing vacuum extraction treatment on the detector cavity;

[0026] S21, closing the vacuum pump and the second ball valve to isolate the air extraction unit from the purification unit;

[0027] S22, opening the first ball valve to input working gas into the detector cavity, and then closing the first ball valve to isolate the gas supply unit from the purification unit;

[0028] S31, turning on the micro-power pump and the gas purifier to make the working gas circulate in the purification unit.

[0029] S31, turning on the micro-power pump and the gas purifier to make the working gas circulate in the purification unit.

[0030] According to the application, the gas supply method for the gas detector further comprises the following steps:

[0031] S12, closing the first ball valve, turning on the vacuum pump and the second ball valve, and simultaneously performing vacuum extraction treatment on the first gas chamber and the second gas chamber.

[0032] The one or more technical solutions in the application have at least one of the following technical effects:

[0033] 1. The gas supply system of the application can continuously remove impurities in the working gas during the operation of the gas detector, greatly reducing the total consumption of the working gas, and reducing the requirement of the gas detector on the sealing performance, so that the gas supply system has the advantages of economy, maintainability and dynamic maintenance of working gas purity.

[0034] 2. When the gas supply system of the application supplies gas to the gas detector, the gas detector is first used to remove other gases in the gas detector, and then the gas supply unit is used to input pure working gas into the gas detector. The gas exchange operation of the gas detector can be completed in a few minutes, which is tens of times faster than the gas exchange speed of the flow gas type gas supply.

[0035] 3. The gas detector is supplied with gas by the gas supply system of the application, which can conveniently adjust the parameters for different experimental requirements, so that the gas detector is more flexible to adapt to various experiments.

[0036] In addition to the technical problems solved by the application, the technical features of the technical solutions described above, and the advantages brought by these technical features, other technical features of the application and the advantages brought by these technical features will be further described with reference to the drawings, or understood through the practice of the application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0037] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application or the related art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the related art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings according to these drawings without creative labor.

[0038] Figure 1 The overall structure schematic diagram of the gas supply system for the gas detector provided by the embodiment of the application.

[0039] Figure 2 The structure schematic diagram of the gas supply system in the working state provided by the embodiment of the application.

[0040] Figure 3 The structure schematic diagram of the gas extraction cover plate provided by the embodiment of the application.

[0041] Reference signs:

[0042] 100, detector cavity; 110, first gas chamber; 120, second gas chamber; 130, detector membrane window; 200, gas supply unit; 210, gas cylinder; 220, first ball valve; 300, gas extraction unit; 310, vacuum pump; 320, gas extraction cover plate; 321, groove; 322, gas hole; 323, sealing groove; 330, second ball valve; 400, purification unit; 410, micro-power pump; 420, gas purifier; 430, buffer tank; 440, diaphragm valve; 450, air pressure gauge. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the present application will be clearly described below with reference to the drawings in the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0044] In the embodiments of the present application, a gas supply system for a gas detector is introduced.

[0045] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the gas supply system mainly comprises a detector cavity 100, a gas supply unit 200 and a purification unit 400.

[0046] Among them, the detector cavity 100 is provided with a first gas chamber 110 for loading working gas. The gas supply unit 200 is connected with the detector cavity 100, and is used for providing working gas. The purification unit 400 is provided with a micro-power pump 410 and a gas purifier 420.

[0047] The micro-power pump 410, the gas purifier 420 and the detector cavity 100 are sequentially connected in series to form a one-way loop outside the first gas chamber 110, which is used to drive the circulating flow of working gas and remove impurities in the working gas by the gas purifier 420.

[0048] Specifically, the detector cavity 100 is provided in a cuboid structure. The end face of the detector cavity 100 is provided with a detector membrane window 130. The circumferential wall of the detector cavity 100 is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet. The first gas chamber 110 is communicated with one end of the one-way loop through the air inlet, and is communicated with the other end of the one-way loop through the air outlet.

[0049] Further, the gas supply system further comprises a gas extraction unit 300. The gas extraction unit 300 is connected with the one-way loop, and is used to extract the gas in the first gas chamber 110.

[0050] Specifically, the air extraction unit 300 comprises a vacuum pump 310 and a second ball valve 330. The vacuum pump 310 and the second ball valve 330 are connected in series through a pipeline and communicate with a one-way circuit through which the gas in the first gas chamber 110 can be extracted.

[0051] In the embodiment, the gas supply system is provided with the purification unit 400, which can continuously remove impurities in the working gas during the operation of the gas detector, greatly reduces the total consumption of the working gas, and reduces the requirement of the gas detector on the sealing performance, so that the gas supply system has the advantages of economy, maintainability and dynamic maintenance of the working gas purity.

[0052] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, another embodiment of the present application introduces a gas supply system for a gas detector.

[0053] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3 , the end faces of the detector cavity 100 are respectively provided with a detector membrane window 130 for the particles to enter and exit the first gas chamber 110.

[0054] In order to keep the air pressure on both sides of the detector membrane window 130 the same during the air extraction process of the gas detector, so as to avoid damaging the detector membrane window 130. The air extraction unit 300 is provided with an air extraction cover plate 320. The middle part of the end face of the air extraction cover plate 320 is provided with a groove 321. The groove bottom of the groove 321 is provided with a gas hole 322 penetrating through the two ends of the air extraction cover plate 320.

[0055] The air extraction cover plate 320 is sealingly connected with the detector cavity 100 by the end face. And the air extraction cover plate 320 surrounds the second gas chamber 120 with the groove 321 facing the detector membrane window 130.

[0056] As shown in Figure 1 , the two ends of the detector cavity 100 are respectively provided with a second gas chamber 120. The vacuum pump 310 is connected with the one-way circuit and the gas hole 322. The second ball valve 330 and the vacuum pump 310 are opened to simultaneously extract the gas in the first gas chamber 110 and the second gas chamber 120, so as to ensure that the air pressure of the first gas chamber 110 and the second gas chamber 120 is kept the same during the air extraction process of the gas detector, so as to avoid the detector membrane window 130 being deformed due to the pressure difference on both sides.

[0057] Preferably, the end surface of the suction cover plate 320 is provided with a sealing groove 323. The sealing groove 323 extends along a circumferential line and is located on the outer circumferential side of the groove 321. When the end surface of the suction cover plate 320 is in contact with the end surface of the detector cavity 100, an O-ring is installed in the sealing groove 323, which can further improve the sealing of the suction cover plate 320 and the detector cavity 100.

[0058] Further, the purification unit 400 further comprises a buffer tank 430. The buffer tank 430 is connected in series between the micro-power pump 410 and the detector cavity 100, and is used to buffer the gas pressure fluctuation in the gas supply system and stabilize the gas pressure in the detector cavity 100.

[0059] The gas supply unit 200 comprises a gas cylinder 210 and a first ball valve 220. Preferably, when the gas detector is a xenon ionization chamber, the gas cylinder 210 stores xenon gas and is provided with a pressure reducing valve, which can stably provide high-purity xenon gas to the xenon ionization chamber.

[0060] One end of the first ball valve 220 is connected to the gas cylinder 210. The other end of the first ball valve 220 is connected in parallel between the buffer tank 430 and the detector cavity 100. By switching the first ball valve 220, the on-off state of the gas cylinder 210 and the gas detector can be changed, so as to adjust the communication and isolation of the gas supply unit 200 and the purification unit 400, so as to continuously and stably purify the working gas in the purification unit 400 during the operation of the gas detector.

[0061] Further, the purification unit 400 further comprises a diaphragm valve 440. The gas inlet end and the gas outlet end of the gas purifier 420 are respectively connected in series with one of the diaphragm valves 440, which is used to protect the gas purifier 420 and avoid damage to the gas purifier 420 due to long-term contact with air.

[0062] The purification unit 400 further comprises a gas pressure gauge 450. The gas pressure gauge 450 is connected in series between the diaphragm valve 440 and the detector cavity 100, and is used to monitor the gas pressure in the first gas chamber 110.

[0063] On the other hand, in an embodiment of the present application, a gas supply method for a gas detector is introduced. The gas supply method is applied to the gas supply system described in any of the above embodiments.

[0064] The steps of the gas supply method include: S1, opening the air extraction unit 300 to extract air in the gas supply system; S2, after the air pressure in the first gas chamber 110 is less than a set value, closing the air extraction unit 300, opening the gas supply unit 200 to deliver working gas to the first gas chamber 110, and then closing the gas supply unit 200; S3, after the air pressure in the first gas chamber 110 is equal to the atmospheric pressure, opening the micro-power pump 410 and the gas purifier 420, and continuously operating the purification unit 400 during the operation of the gas detector.

[0065] Further, the gas supply unit 200 is provided with a gas cylinder 210 and a first ball valve 220 connected in series. The air extraction unit 300 is provided with a vacuum pump 310 and a second ball valve 330 connected in series.

[0066] At this time, the specific steps of the gas supply method include:

[0067] S11, closing the first ball valve 220, opening the vacuum pump 310 and the second ball valve 330, and performing vacuum extraction on the detector cavity 100.

[0068] S21, closing the vacuum pump 310 and the second ball valve 330 to isolate the air extraction unit 300 from the purification unit 400.

[0069] S22, opening the first ball valve 220 to input working gas into the detector cavity 100, and then closing the first ball valve 220 to isolate the gas supply unit 200 from the purification unit 400.

[0070] S31, opening the micro-power pump 410 and the gas purifier 420 to make the working gas circulate in the purification unit 400.

[0071] Further, the air extraction unit 300 further includes an air extraction cover plate 320. The air extraction cover plate 320 is sealingly connected with the detector cavity 100 to form a second gas chamber 120. The vacuum pump 310 is connected with the one-way circuit and the air hole 322 of the air extraction cover plate 320 to simultaneously extract air in the first gas chamber 110 and the second gas chamber 120.

[0072] At this time, the steps of the gas supply method become: S12, closing the first ball valve 220, opening the vacuum pump 310 and the second ball valve 330, and simultaneously performing vacuum extraction on the first gas chamber 110 and the second gas chamber 120.

[0073] In the embodiment, the gas supply system first opens the air extraction unit to quickly discharge the air in the gas detector; then closes the air extraction unit and opens the gas supply unit to input the working gas into the gas detector; finally opens the micro-power pump and the gas purifier to make the working gas realize one-way self-circulation flow in the purification unit, so that the working gas continuously passes through the gas purifier, and the purification of the working gas is realized.

[0074] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0075] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the first feature is "on" or "under" the second feature, which can be that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature "above", "above" and "above" the second feature can be that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or it only means that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature "below", "below" and "below" the second feature can be that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or it only means that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0077] In the description of the present specification, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "an example", "a specific example", or "some examples" and the like means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the embodiments of the present application. In the present specification, the illustrative description of the above terms is not limited to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any appropriate manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, different embodiments or examples described in the present specification and the features of different embodiments or examples can be combined and combined by those skilled in the art without contradiction.

[0078] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that: it can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacement for part of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solution deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A gas supply system for a gas detector, characterized in that, include: The detector cavity (100) is provided with a first gas chamber (110) for loading working gas. A gas supply unit (200) is connected to the detector cavity (100) and is used to supply working gas; The purification unit (400) is equipped with a micro-power pump (410) and a gas purifier (420). The micro-power pump (410), the gas purifier (420) and the detector cavity (100) are connected in series to form a one-way loop outside the first gas chamber (110) to drive the working gas to circulate and remove impurities from the working gas through the gas purifier (420). It also includes an air extraction unit (300), which is connected to the one-way loop and is used to extract the gas in the first air chamber (110); The detector cavity (100) has a detector membrane window (130) on each end face, and the pumping unit (300) includes: A vacuum pump (310) is connected to the unidirectional circuit; A vacuum cover (320) is provided with a groove (321) in the middle of the end face of the vacuum cover (320), and an air hole (322) is provided at the bottom of the groove (321) to pass through both ends of the vacuum cover (320). The suction cover (320) is sealed to the detector cavity (100) with its end face and forms a second air chamber (120) with the groove (321) facing the detector membrane window (130). The vacuum pump (310) is connected to the air hole (322) and is used to simultaneously extract gas from the first air chamber (110) and the second air chamber (120).

2. The gas supply system for a gas detector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The purification unit (400) also includes a buffer tank (430), which is connected in series between the micro-power pump (410) and the detector cavity (100).

3. The gas supply system for a gas detector according to claim 2, characterized in that, The gas supply unit (200) includes a gas cylinder (210) and a first ball valve (220). One end of the first ball valve (220) is connected to the gas cylinder (210), and the other end of the first ball valve (220) is connected in parallel between the buffer tank (430) and the detector cavity (100).

4. The gas supply system for a gas detector according to claim 2, characterized in that, The purification unit (400) also includes a diaphragm valve (440), with one of the diaphragm valves (440) connected in series at the inlet and outlet of the gas purifier (420) to prevent the gas purifier (420) from being exposed to air for a long time.

5. The gas supply system for a gas detector according to claim 4, characterized in that, The purification unit (400) also includes a pressure gauge (450), which is connected in series between the diaphragm valve (440) and the detector cavity (100) to monitor the pressure in the first gas chamber (110).

6. A gas supply method for a gas detector, characterized in that, The method, applied to a gas supply system for a gas detector as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, comprises the following steps: S1. Open the air extraction unit (300) to extract the air from the air supply system; S2. When the air pressure in the first air chamber (110) is less than the set value, first close the air extraction unit (300), then open the air supply unit (200) to deliver the working gas to the first air chamber (110). S3. After the air pressure in the first air chamber (110) is equal to atmospheric pressure, first shut down the air supply unit (200), then turn on the micro power pump (410) and the gas purifier (420), and make the purification unit (400) run continuously during the operation of the gas detector.

7. The gas supply method for a gas detector according to claim 6, characterized in that, The gas supply unit (200) is provided with a gas cylinder (210) and a first ball valve (220) connected in series, and the gas extraction unit (300) is provided with a vacuum pump (310) and a second ball valve (330) connected in series. The gas supply method includes: S11. Close the first ball valve (220), open the vacuum pump (310) and the second ball valve (330) to perform vacuuming on the detector cavity (100); S21. Close the vacuum pump (310) and the second ball valve (330) to isolate the pumping unit (300) from the purification unit (400); S22. Open the first ball valve (220) to input the working gas into the detector cavity (100), and then close the first ball valve (220) to isolate the gas supply unit (200) from the purification unit (400); S31. Turn on the micro-power pump (410) and the gas purifier (420) to circulate the working gas in the purification unit (400).

8. The gas supply method for a gas detector according to claim 7, characterized in that, The vacuum pump (300) further includes a vacuum cover plate (320) that is sealed to the detector cavity (100) to form a second air chamber (120), and the vacuum pump (310) is connected to the vacuum cover plate (320). The gas supply method includes: S12, closing the first ball valve (220), opening the vacuum pump (310) and the second ball valve (330), and simultaneously performing vacuuming on the first gas chamber (110) and the second gas chamber (120).

Images