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Aging of The Geiger-Muller Counter Due To Particle
Aging of The Geiger-Muller Counter Due To Particle
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Scientific paper
http://doi.org/10.2298/NTRP1703250A
In this paper, the aging effect of commercially available Geiger-Muller counters under work-
ing conditions is being considered from both theoretical and experimental point of view. In
the experimental part lifetime curves for the commercial Geiger-Muller counter chamber are
first recorded. After detection of the aging phenomena, the commercial chamber response to
an impulse voltage is tested along with recording of the same response of the Geiger-Muller
chamber model with conductive particles included. The law of similarity for the gaseous dis-
charge is fulfilled both by the commercial Geiger-Muller chamber and by the chamber model
with conductive particles. The results obtained from the U-test indicate that the aging of the
Geiger-Muller chamber is mainly caused by the occurrence of a great number of conductive
particles hovering inside the chamber. Some suggestions of how to reduce the aging effect due
to conductive particles inside the Geiger-Muller chamber are given in the conclusion.
Key words: Geiger-Muller counter, aging, conductive particle
control. Impurities inside the chamber are mainly the LAW OF SIMILARITY
spherical shape metallic particles, created when the part
of the anode, melted by a spark, is ejected into the The so called “law of similarity” provides the en-
interelectrode space forming a spherical shape under gineers with the opportunity to check the features of
the original system on appropriate model during the
the influence of the surface tension [7-9].
system development. This law is of a particular impor-
The aim of this paper is to determine the influ-
tance in the natural sciences where the required values
ence of the spherical shape conductive particles inside cannot be, or can hardly be, numerically determined.
the interelectrode space on the aging process of the Similarity in physics assumes the proportionality of
GM counter. two homogenous physical values that are given in two
geometrically similar systems, with proportionality
LIFETIME CHARACTERISTIC coefficient that depends on those two systems. Such
OF THE GM COUNTER similar physical values are called homologous
[11-13].
If n samples are tested with a constant voltage, at Two gas-insulated electrical systems are similar
in the case when the same gas and the same building
the level Ud, then n samples of breakdown time are ob-
materials are used, along with the consistency of the
tained. Empirical function of the breakdown time distri-
mutual geometric relations, including the mean free
bution is suitably described by the Weibull distribution path length of the elementary particles. If the same
[10] d voltage is applied to such two similar systems, the ratio
é æ td ö tù
F ( t d , u d1 ) = 1 - expê-çç ÷ ú (1) of the electrical field intensities at corresponding
êë è t d63 ( u d1 ) ÷ø úû points 1 and 2 is
E1 1
= (6)
Breakdown voltage/breakdown time diagram, E2 a
the so called “lifetime characteristic” can be drawn us-
Analogous, the ratio of surface charge densities
ing the chosen quantiles of this distribution. The expe-
is
rience shows that diagram forms a straight line on the s1 1
= (7)
double logarithmic scale. If the confidence intervals s2 a2
for the given quantiles are known, then they can be
the ratio of volume charge densities
transferred on the lifetime characteristic. For each
quantile of order p of the breakdown time, the lifetime h1 1
= (8)
characteristic is described as h2 a 3
u dp = k dp t dp -1/ r (2) the ratio of current intensities
where kdp is a constant that describes the geometry of i1
=1 (9)
the structure, and r is an exponent of the lifetime that i2
depends on the tested insulation. Deflection (deviation the time ratio
t1
from a straight line) of the lifetime characteristic indi- =a (10)
cates that there are some changes in the mechanism of t2
aging (breakdown process). and the ratio of the rates of current change is
If, according to the eq. 1, the Weibull distribu- di1
tion is adopted for the breakdown voltage Ud with dt = 1 (11)
fixed breakdown time td1 di 2 a
é æ d
ud ö uù dt
F ( u d , t d1 ) = 1 - expê-çç ÷÷ ú (3)
êë è u d63 ( t d1 ) ø úû where a is geometrical similarity parameter.
All these equations are valid assuming neglection
then, for the same breakdown probabilities, the fol- of space charges and are derived from the potential
lowing is obtained fields similarity as a result of geometrical similarity.
u d63 ( t d1 )[ t d1 ] dt / du = u d1 [ t d63 ( u d1 )] dt / du (4a) The research works conducted in this field have pointed
out that space charges created as a result of first order el-
According to the law of lifetime (2), and assum- ementary processes do not have a major influence on
ing that the exponent r is applicable to all quantiles, the validity of the above expressions [14, 15].
one can write
u d63 ( t d1 )[ t d1 ]1/ r = k d63 (4b)
EXPERIMENT AND EXPERIMENTAL
Comparison of the coefficients on the left parts
RESULTS PROCESSING
of the eqs. (4a) and (4b) yields
d The experiments were performed using commer-
r= u (5)
dt cially available GM chambers and models. Models of
D. S. Arbutina, et al.: Aging of the Geiger-Muller Counter Due to Particle ...
252 Nuclear Technology & Radiation Protection: Year 2017, Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 250-255
REFERENCES