Occupational exposure to X-rays from a small plasma focus

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
S P Moo
2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 356-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávio Manoel Rodrigues da Silva-Júnior ◽  
Ronan Adler Tavella ◽  
Caroline Lopes Feijo Fernandes ◽  
Alexandra Silveira Mortola ◽  
Gianni Goulart Peraza ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential influence of occupational ionizing radiation (IR) exposure on health professionals, assessing DNA damage using the comet and micronucleus (MN) assays and analyzing relative risks, correlations, and associated factors between outcomes and socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. Blood and buccal samples were collected from 36 workers, who actively participated in an imaging sector of a hospital, who were either exposed to IR directly or indirectly (9 internal control and 27 exposed), and 27 individuals living in the same city but with no occupational exposure (external control, unexposed/healthy). All radiation dosages performed on the 36 workers were less than 20 mSv/y, not exceeding the effective dose limit for occupational exposure. A questionnaire identified socioeconomic and lifestyle factors associated with the outcomes. The results of the MN assay showed a significant difference between both internal control and the exposed group when compared to the external control. For the comet assay, there were significant differences between the percent of tail DNA of the exposed group and external controls, but no difference was found between the exposed group and internal controls. Relative risk associations were found in time of exposure, hours worked per week, and perceived stress. Correlations were found between the outcomes and age, consumption of alcohol, and frequencies of X-rays during life. Variables that showed to be significant in the adjusted analysis were skin color and recent exposure to radiation. Albeit limited, the findings of this study suggest genotoxicity in both blood and buccal mucosa cells of workers exposed directly or indirectly to IR and that lifestyle and socioeconomic factors are associated and correlated with the risk of developing these outcomes.


2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (09) ◽  
pp. 309-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. SHAFIQ ◽  
SARTAJ ◽  
S. HUSSAIN ◽  
M. SHARIF ◽  
S. AHMAD ◽  
...  

A study of soft X-ray emission in the 1.0–1.5 keV energy range from a low energy (1.15 kJ) plasma focus has been conducted. X-rays are detected with the combination of Quantrad Si PIN-diodes masked with Al (50 μm), Mg (100 μm) and Ni (17.5 μm) filters and with a pinhole camera. The X-ray flux is found to be measurable within the pressure range of 0.1–1.0 mbar nitrogen. In the 1.0–1.3 keV and 1.0–1.5 keV windows, the X-ray yield in 4π-geometry is 1.03 J and 14.0-J, respectively, at a filling pressure of 0.25 mbar and the corresponding efficiencies are 0.04% and 1.22%. The total X-ray emission in 4π-geometry is 21.8 J, which corresponds to the system efficiency of about 1.9%. The X-ray emission is found dominantly as a result of the interaction of energetic electrons in the current sheath with the anode tip. Images recorded by the pinhole camera confirm the emission of X-rays from the tip of the anode.


1991 ◽  
Vol 36 (2-4) ◽  
pp. 219-223
Author(s):  
J. Jankowski ◽  
B. Nowak ◽  
J. Liniecki (INVITED)
Keyword(s):  

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 656-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jain ◽  
J. Moreno ◽  
D. Morales ◽  
S. Davis ◽  
B. Bora ◽  
...  

AbstractThe temporal correlation between neutron and hard X-ray (HXR) emissions from a hundred joules plasma focus device (PF-400J) was studied. A method, time history analysis, to estimate the time of origin of neutrons with respect to HXRs is applied. In most of the discharges, it was found that neutrons are originated before HXRs in the axial direction and after HXRs in the radial direction. In some discharges, the time difference between HXRs and neutrons origin was found large enough, so that it can be interpreted that those neutrons would have been originated before the pinch. A qualitative discussion is conjectured to explain the experimental observations.


Nukleonika ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Władysław Surała ◽  
Marek J. Sadowski ◽  
Roch Kwiatkowski ◽  
Lech Jakubowski ◽  
Jarosław Żebrowski

Abstract The paper reports results of the recent experimental studies of pulsed electron beams and soft X-rays in plasma-focus (PF) experiments carried out within a modified PF-360U facility at the NCBJ, Poland. Particular attention was focused on time-resolved measurements of the fast electron beams by means of two different magnetic analyzers, which could record electrons of energy ranging from about 41 keV to about 715 keV in several (6 or 8) measuring channels. For discharges performed with the pure deuterium filling, many strong electron signals were recorded in all the measuring channels. Those signals were well correlated with the first hard X-ray pulse detected by an external scintillation neutron-counter. In some of the analyzer channels, electron spikes (lasting about dozens of nanoseconds) and appearing in different instants after the current peculiarity (so-called current dip) were also recorded. For several discharges, fast ion beams, which were emitted along the z-axis and recorded with nuclear track detectors, were also investigated. Those measurements confirmed a multibeam character of the ion emission. The time-integrated soft X-ray images, which were taken side-on by means of a pinhole camera and sensitive X-ray films, showed the appearance of some filamentary structures and so-called hot spots. The application of small amounts of admixtures of different heavy noble gases, i.e. of argon (4.8% volumetric), krypton (1.6% volumetric), or xenon (0.8% volumetric), decreased intensity of the recorded electron beams, but increased intensity of the soft X-ray emission and showed more distinct and numerous hot spots. The recorded electron spikes have been explained as signals produced by quasi-mono-energetic microbeams emitted from tiny sources (probably plasma diodes), which can be formed near the observed hot spots.


1974 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 184-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Gullickson ◽  
R. H. Barlett

AbstractThe plasma focus device, a form of linear pinch discharge, produces an intense x-ray and neutron (D2) burst from a magnetically heated dense plasma. Rapidly changing magnetic fields at pinch time generate large axial electric fields which accelerate electrons and ions. In the experiments reported here the x-ray production during the plasma pinch of a 96 kilojoule (at 20 kV) plasma focus device was measured.The purpose of these experiments was to evaluate the energy in accelerated electrons in the plasma focus device and to learn how to enhance these electron hursts. Well focused, megampere electron beams at a few hundred kilovolts, lasting less than 10 nanoseconds have applications in fusionable pellet heating experiments. (1) X-rays were monitored to evaluate these electron bursts using a defocusing bent crystal spectrometer, doubly diffused silicon (PIN) detectors, with Ross filters, thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) with filters, and x-ray pinhole photography.Thermoluminescent dosimeters indicated maximum x-ray yields of 140 joules above 3 keV at 57.3 kilojoules stored energy (16 kV) for a conversion efficiency to x-rays of 0.2%. 40 joules are above 60 keV and 15 joules above 80 keV. The hard x-ray pulse typically rises in 3 ns and frequently has a pulse width less than 10 ns. The low energy x-ray spectrum consists almost entirely of lines from the high Z anode insert, and the high energy spectrum is characteristic of a nonthermal power law distribution with an exponent of 2.2 ± 0.8. Peak hard x-ray production is obtained at 1 torr deuterium in contrast to peak neutron production (3 x 1010) at 5 torr. The addition of argon reduces total x-ray yield and increases the relative fraction of soft x-rays.These measurements suggest that the plasma focus produces 1200 joules of electrons with an average energy of 150 keV, in 10 nanoseconds with a stored energy of 57.3 kilojoules. This is a power of 1.2 × 1011 watts and power density of 1.5 × 1013 watts cm−2.


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