Syllabus - Nuclear Instrumentation (EI 603 (C))

Electronics & Instrumentation Engineering

Nuclear Instrumentation (EI 603 (C))

VI-Semester

Unit-1

Radioactivity

General properties of Nucleus, Radioactivity, Nature of Nuclear Radiation's, Properties of Alpha, Beta and Gamma rays, Natural and artificial radioactivity. Radioactivity Laws, Half life period, radioactive series, Isotopes and Isobars, Various effects- photoelectric, Compton scattering and pair production, stopping power and range of charged nuclear particles.

Unit-2

Radiation Detectors

Techniques for radiation detection, Detectors for Alpha, beta and gamma rays, Detector classification,Gas filled detectors - volt ampere characteristics, Ionization chamber, Proportional counter, Geiger Muller counter, Designing features, Scintillation detectors, Photomultiplier tube, dark currents, pulse resolving power, efficiency of detection, Solid state detectors (Lithium ion drifted – Si-Li, Ge-Li, Diffused junction, surface barrier detectors)

Unit-3

Electronics and Counting systems

Pre-amp, shaping amplifiers, Discriminators, Scalars and count rate meters, Pulse shaping, peak stretchers, photon counting system block diagram, single channel analyzer SCA (pulse height analyzer - PHA), Coincidence detection

Unit-4

Nuclear Spectroscopy systems

Factors influencing resolution of gamma energy spectrum, Energy resolution in radiation detectors, Multichannel analyzers (MCA), Role of Nuclear ADC's – performance parameters, Radiation Monitors &Application in Medicines : Radiation uptake studies – block diagram and design features. Gamma camera – design, block diagram, medical usage. Nuclear instrumentaion for health care, Radiation Personnel Health Monitors like neutron monitors, Gamma Monitors, Tritium monitors, Iodine monitors and PARA (paritculateacitivity radiation alarms).

Unit-5

Applications in Industry

Basic Nuclear Instrumentation system – block diagram, Personal monitors like Thermo Luminescence Detectors (TLD). Dosimeters, Teledetectors. Nuclear Instrumentation for power reactor. Nuclear Insrumentation for Toxic fluid tank level measurement, weighing, thickeness gauges, Agriculture applications like food irradiation, Underground Piping Leak detection, water content measurement etc.

Practicals

Reference Books

  • G.F. Knoll, “Radiation Detection & Measurement”, 2nd edition, John Wiley & Sons, 1998.

  • P.W. Nicholson, “Nuclear Electronics”, John Wiley, 1998.

  • S.S. Kapoor & V.S. Ramamurthy, “Nuclear Radiation Detectors”, Wiley Easter Limited, 1986.

  • Gaur & Gupta, “Engineering Physics”, Danpat Rai & Sons, 2001.

  • Irvin Kaplan, “Nuclear Physics”, Narosa, 1987.

  • M.N. Avdhamule& P.G. Kshirsagar, “Engineering Physics”, S.Chand& Co., 2001.

  • R.M. Singru, “Introduction to Experimental Nuclear Physics”, Wiley Eastern Pvt. Ltd., 1974.