An automated test facility for neutronic amplifiers

Neutronic amplifiers are used at the Chalk River Laboratory in applications such as neutron flux monitoring and reactor control systems. Routine preventive maintenance of control and safety systems included annual calibration and characterization of the neutronic amplifiers. An investigation into the traditional methods of annual routine maintenance of amplifiers concluded that frequency and phase response measurements in particular were labour intensive and subject to non-repeatable errors. A decision was made to upgrade testing methods and facilities by using programmable test equipment under the control of a computer. In order to verify the results of the routine measurements, expressions for the transfer functions were derived from the circuit diagrams. Frequency and phase responses were then calculated and plotted thus providing a bench-mark to which the test results can be compared. (author)