Title :
Radiation tolerant SMART electronics
Author :
Loescher, Douglas H. ; Weiss, Joseph M.
Author_Institution :
Sandia Nat. Lab., NM, USA
Abstract :
Summary form only given, as follows. SMART transmitters contain a microprocessor and other digital electronic circuits that are used to enhance accuracy, provide communications, reduce maintenance, and otherwise facilitate use. SMART transmitters are used extensively in factories, refineries, and elsewhere, but they are not used in nuclear power plants, in part because they have low tolerance to ionizing radiation. A SMART transmitter that works properly after a total dose of 1 Mrd(Si) could be used in nuclear power plants for extended periods of time. However, EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) sponsored tests (EPRI Report NP-7172) demonstrated that existing, commercial SMART transmitters failed after exposure to approximately 10 krd(Si) of ionizing radiation. The circuits which limit the performance of commercial transmitters have been identified and rad-hard circuits are being designed to replace them. One essential circuit, a voltage-to-frequency converter, has been built and tested. It functioned acceptably after exposure to 30 Mrd(Si).<>
Keywords :
circuit reliability; digital circuits; failure analysis; radiation effects; radiation hardening (electronics); transmitters; voltage-frequency convertors; 1 Mrad; 30 Mrad; SMART transmitters; digital electronic circuits; ionizing radiation; microprocessor; nuclear power plants; radiation tolerant SMART electronics; voltage-to-frequency converter; Circuit testing; Electronic circuits; Ionizing radiation; Microprocessors; Nuclear electronics; Power generation; Production facilities; Radiation hardening; Transmitters; Voltage;
Conference_Titel :
Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, 1991., Conference Record of the 1991 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Santa Fe, NM, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-0513-2
DOI :
10.1109/NSSMIC.1991.259142
