Fusion Message Board

In this space, visitors are invited to post any comments, questions, or skeptical observations about Philo T. Farnsworth's contributions to the field of Nuclear Fusion research.

Subject: Tritium measurement
Date: Mar 01, 11:34 am
Poster: Richard Hull

On Mar 01, 11:34 am, Richard Hull wrote:

This is in response to Eugene Kopf's posting.

I fully realize that no geiger counter can count tritium due to the weak 5-16KV beta emission. Even a mica windowed gieger tube won't see it! BUT....... A scintillation counter won't see it either Eugene!

I was able to easily detect Tritium, As I noted in my posting by CONVERTING the valved off, freshly run fusor into a geiger counter THAT WAS READING ITS OWN GUTS OR CONTAINED GAS! That gas should contain Tritium if fusion was going on. 10KV electrons flying around inside a geiger tube WILL BE detected!

Most geiger counters and PMT counters are light and gas tight. The problem with tritium is getting it to the detector's sensitive volume. In a geiger counter, it is internal gas load and with a PMT it is a scintillation crystal. The weak radiation from Tritium will not penetrate the housing of either instrument in their standard configuration. Vacuum system electron multipliers can be used to detect the tritium Beta electrons, but again it would have to be buried in the gas to be measured.

Regarding the spectrometer, my good friend Tom Ligon has a nice little Ocean optics spectral photometer/spectrograph.

(see my earlier post on doppler broadening of the Hb line.)

Unfortunately, he and the spectrometer are in California for a number of months. I am making do with what I have at hand to verify fusion. The neutron counter and the rad test following a run was a good cross check.

Richard Hull