Transit times and electrical discharge in a steady-state gas activation system

Abstract

<p>This study deals with the problem of transporting a gas from the core of the Ames Laboratory Research Reactor to the ion source of an electromagnetic isotope separator in a steady-state fashion. The parameters on which this flow depends are ascertained so that the flow may be predictably controlled by a computer. The transit time through the activation line is calculated and confirmed experimentally for nitrogen and xenon. The initiation of an electrical discharge in the low pressure gas by a 60 kv potential is studied as a function of the gas and the gradient length.</p>