Computer-based on-line pulsed ionization chamber plasma diagnostic system

A pulsed ionization chamber (PIC) plasma diagnostic system described previously for use in the study of ionized gas kinetics for rare gases and their mixtures including He(UF6)-a candidate gas core reactor/magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) converter working fluid and a component in wide range radiation field measurement systems has been upgraded in performance to include computer-controlled data acquisition, storage, processing, graphic analysis, and presentation. The current automated system, whose performance is being reported and whose block diagram is shown, is developed around a Macintosh SE microcomputer, IEEE-488 (GPIB) instruments, and a National Instruments interface controller. The results shown not only demonstrate the improved wide-range voltage signal measurement capability of the new PIC system (e.g., from millivolts to tens of volts) but also illustrate the system's capability of easily producing print-ready graphics of experimental data. From automation to report preparation, the new system promises to greatly facilitate the overall process of our experimental plasma diagnostic program and should aid in the implementation in our study of a series of gas core reactor fuel gas/MHD converter working fluids