48 results about "Radioactive Disintegrations" patented technology

A computerized system 40 for locating a device. System 40 includes a sensor module 20 and a CPU 42. A radioactive source 38, associated with the device, produces a signal in the form of radioactive disintegrations. Module 20 includes a radiation detector 22 capable of receiving a signal from source 38 attached to the device. Module 20 produces an output signal 34. CPU 42 receives output signal(s) 34 and translates output 34 into directional information relating to a position of source 38.

The present invention is directed α-particle emitting nanoparticles that comprise a lanthanide phosphate sequestration shell enclosing an α-emitting-radioisotope-doped lanthanide phosphate core such that the shell allows at least some of the α emissions from the α-emitting radioisotope to pass therethrough and prevents at least some radioactive decay products of the α-emitting radioisotope from exiting the α-particle emitting nanoparticle. Further, such α-particle emitting nanoparticles may be coated with gold and functionalized. Additionally, a method for making and using the same are disclosed.

An apparatus for marking objects is disclosed. The apparatus comprises (a) a source device including a mother isotope for emitting daughter isotopes by radioactive decay; preferably (b) a positioning mechanism for positioning an object in close proximity to the source device; and (c) a patterning mechanism for restricting implantation of the daughter isotopes into a surface of the object, so as to create a detectable pattern of the daughter isotopes on the object.

A thermionic (TI) power cell includes a heat source, such as a layer of radioactive material that generates heat due to radioactive decay, a layer of electron emitting material disposed on the layer of radioactive material, and a layer of electron collecting material. The layer of electron emitting material is physically separated from the layer of electron collecting material to define a chamber between the layer of electron collecting material and the layer of electron emitting material. The chamber is substantially evacuated to permit electrons to traverse the chamber from the layer of electron emitting material to the layer of electron collecting material. Heat generated over time by the layer of radioactive material causes a substantially constant flow of electrons to be emitted by the layer of electron emitting material to induce an electric current to flow through the layer of electron collecting material when connected to an electrical load.

The invention relates to a measurement and determination method for an age of a uranium sample. The method comprises: dissolution of a proper number of uranium samples is carried out; 234Th in a dissolving solution is measured; a 234U in the dissolving solution is measured; radiochemical separation is carried out on thorium in the dissolving solution; the 234Th and the 234U in the separated product are measured respectively; and then the age of the uranium is calculated based on the known Bateman equation and the radioactive decay rule. With the method, the operation flow is simplified; the employed alpha spectrometer and beta spectrometer do not need detection efficiency scale; the uncertainty of the analysis result due to the detection efficiency scale of the alpha spectrometer and beta spectrometer can be avoided theoretically; and during the separation and measurement processes, no extra radioactive tracer is required.

A signal source for use as a frequency source or time keeping signal source includes a radioactive emission source generating a substantially periodic signal corresponding to a radioactive material's disintegration rate. A radioactive emission detector generates a radioactive emission detection signal and, to stabilize the detected periodic signal, a dead time controlling attenuator blanks or shuts off the radioactive emission detection signal for a selected dead time interval in response to each detected radioactive emission (i.e., a detected signal pulse or signal component) generated by the source. The dead time controlling attenuator output provides a long-term and short-term a stable periodic signal.

A method for determining the intensity I(Ech1) of gamma radiation of a radioelement from the known intensity I(Ech2) of gamma radiation of a standard radioelement, characterised in that it includes a step for calculating the intensity I(Ech1) as the following formula, where S(Ech1) is the net area of the gamma radiation of the radioelement, S(Ech2) is the net area of the gamma radiation of the standard radioelement, R1 and R2 are respectively a total absorption efficiency of the radiation detector used for measuring S(Ech1) and of the radiation detector used for measuring S(Ech2), [Delta][rho]1 and [Delta][rho]2 are measurements of reactivity variation of a nuclear reactor measured by the oscillation technique, and relating respectively to the radioelement and the standard radioelement, WA,1 and WA,2 are respectively the neutron importance of the radioelement and the neutron importance of the standard radioelement, and Cd1 and Cd2 arerespectively a radioactive decay correction datum of the sample and a radioactivity decay correction datum of the standard sample.

A method for detecting soft errors in an integrated circuit (IC) due to transient-particle emission, the IC comprising at least one chip and a substrate includes mixing an epoxy with a radioactive source to form a hot underfill (HUF); underfilling the chip with the HUF; sealing the underfilled chip; measuring a radioactivity of the HUF at an edge of the chip; measuring the radioactivity of the HUF on a test coupon; testing the IC for soft errors by determining a current radioactivity of the HUF at the time of testing based on the measured radioactivity; and after the expiration of a radioactive decay period of the radioactive source, using the IC in a computing device by a user.

A method for assessing an alpha particle emission potential of a metallic material. A metallic material is initially subjected to a secular equilibrium disruption process, such as melting and / or refining, to disrupt the secular equilibrium of the radioactive decay of one or more target parent isotopes in the material. A sample of the material is treated to diffuse target decay isotopes within the sample such that the measured alpha particle emission directly corresponds to the concentration or number of target decay isotope atoms within the entirety of the sample, enabling the concentration of target decay isotopes in the sample to be determined. The concentration of target parent isotopes in the material may then be determined from the concentration of target decay isotopes and time elapsed from the secular equilibrium disruption process, and may be used to determine a maximum alpha particle emission that the metallic material will exhibit.

A method for assessing an alpha particle emission potential of a metallic material. A metallic material is initially subjected to a secular equilibrium disruption process, such as melting and / or refining, to disrupt the secular equilibrium of the radioactive decay of one or more target parent isotopes in the material. A sample of the material is treated to diffuse target decay isotopes within the sample such that the measured alpha particle emission directly corresponds to the concentration or number of target decay isotope atoms within the entirety of the sample, enabling the concentration of target decay isotopes in the sample to be determined. The concentration of target parent isotopes in the material may then be determined from the concentration of target decay isotopes and time elapsed from the secular equilibrium disruption process, and may be used to determine a maximum alpha particle emission that the metallic material will exhibit.

The invention discloses a disposable reaction device, a tracer agent synthesizer and a tracer agent production method. The disposable reaction device comprises a disposable reagent bottle, a disposable reactor and a disposable liquid pipeline; the disposable reagent bottle is used for loading substances needed by the reaction, and the substances comprise radioactive isotopes, solvents, reagents and reactants; the disposable reactor can be filled with the loaded substances directly or through the disposable liquid pipeline; the disposable reactor is used for containing the radioactive isotopesand at least one reagent to react, and the disposable reactor can be sealed by using a pierced component; and the disposable liquid pipeline comprises an evaporating element, a filling element, a recovering element and a mass transferring pipe line. The disposable reaction device has the beneficial effects that production of the next-batch of tracer agent can be conducted without the need of waiting for 10 half-life period of radioactive decay, the disposable reaction device makes synthesis of the same or different tracer agents be conducted repeatedly in a short term, and thus the research and production efficiency of the tracer agent is greatly improved. The disposable reaction device does not need to be cleaned, and time, manpower and material resources are greatly saved.

Undesirable metal cation contaminants, including hafnium, can be reduced from a solution containing Lutetium-177 on a bed of an anion exchange resin. The thus purified solution can be stored and transported in a polypropylene vial, to prevent the possibility of hafnium entering the solution from a glassware wall and of Lutetium from being lost from the solution by chemically reacting with a glassware wall. The vial can be sealed with a rubber stopper which has a polytetrafluoroethylene coating facing the solution to prevent the possibility of contaminants which could interfere with later uses of the Lutetium-177 from leaching into the solution from the rubber stopper. Recipients of the Lutetium-177-containing vial can be provided with a prepackaged column of the anion exchange resin to enable such recipients to remove the hafnium which accumulated in the solution as a product of radioactive decay during shipment.

A sensor for measuring thermal conductivity includes an insulator, a test material over the insulator, a conductor over the test material, and a gas within an open volume adjacent the test material and the conductor. An electrical source is configured to provide an alternating current through the conductor to heat the test material. Leads are connected to the conductor and configured to connect to a voltmeter. A method of measuring thermal conductivity includes disposing the sensor in a reactor core in which a nuclear fuel undergoes irradiation and radioactive decay. An alternating current is provided from the electrical source through the conductor to heat the test material. A voltage is measured as a function of time at the leads connected to the conductor. A thermal conductivity of the test material is calculated based on the voltage measured as a function of time. Methods of forming a sensor are also disclosed.

A portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer comprises a detector of ionizing radiation that is configured to detect radiation from spontaneous radioactive decay within an environment of the portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer and or ionizing radiation that propagates past a front end of the portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer towards its user.

In order to prepare a useful radioactive substance from radionuclides included in high-level radioactive waste and the like, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for preparing a radioactive substance including a muon irradiation step for obtaining a first radionuclide by causing negative muons to be incident onto a radioactive target nuclide and triggering a nuclear muon capture reaction. The prepared radioactive substance includes at least one of the first radionuclide and a second radionuclide that is at least one type of a descendant nuclide obtained from the first radionuclide through radioactive decay. An embodiment of the present invention also provides the radioactive substance.

The invention discloses a disposable reaction device, a tracer synthesizer and a method for producing a tracer. The disposable reaction device comprises: (1) a disposable reagent bottle, which is used for loading the substances required for reaction, including radioisotopes, solvents, reagents, and reactants; the load can be filled directly or through a disposable liquid pipeline into the disposable reactor; (2) disposable reactors, which are used to contain radioisotopes and at least one reagent for reaction, and can be sealed with pierceable materials; (3) disposable liquid pipelines, including evaporation elements, filling elements, retraction elements, and mass transfer pipelines. The beneficial advantages brought by the present invention are: First, there is no need to wait for 10 half-lives of radioactive decay before proceeding to the next tracer production. Secondly, the disposable reaction device enables the synthesis of the same or different tracers to be repeated in a short time.