Towards a Novel Modular Architecture for Cern Radiation Monitoring

Abstract

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has the legal obligation to protect the public and the people working on its premises from any unjustified exposure to ionising radiation. In this context, radiation monitoring is one of the main concerns of the Radiation Protection Group. After 30 y of reliable service, the ARea CONtroller (ARCON) system is approaching the end of its lifecycle, which raises the need for new, more efficient radiation monitors with a high level of modularity to ensure better maintainability. Based on these two main principles, new detectors are currently being developed that will be capable of measuring very low dose rates down to 50 nSv h−1, whilst being able to measure radiation over an extensive range of 8 decades without any auto scaling. To reach these performances, CERN Radiation MOnitoring Electronics (CROME), the new generation of CERN radiation monitors, is based on the versatile architecture that includes new read-out electronics developed by the Instrumentation and Logistics section of the CERN Radiation Protection Group as well as a reconfigurable system on chip capable of performing complex processing calculations. Beside the capabilities of CROME to continuously measure the ambient dose rate, the system generates radiation alarms, provides interlock signals, drives alarm display units through a fieldbus and provides long-term, permanent and reliable data logging. The measurement tests performed during the first phase of the development show very promising results that pave the way to the second phase: the certification.

An Ultra Low Current Measurement Mixed-Signal ASIC for Radiation Monitoring Using Ionisation Chambers

“…For high radiation areas with risk of activation, as is the case for the above-mentioned air-filed ionization chambers, the readout electronics is deported into areas with low radiation levels [6]. The charges produced by the ionisation chamber are transported using a specific SPA6 cable that CERN has designed to carry both the high voltage and the generated charges through hundreds of meters with minimal losses [15].…”

“…In the current radiation monitoring system at CERN, the front-end electronics is implemented with discrete components and performs current-to-frequency conversion (CFC) using a reset counting method. This system, described in [6] and [7], is capable of measuring the current produced by the ionisation chamber from 1 fA to 2 µA. Another system is used for beamloss monitoring where higher radiation levels are expected [3].…”

A Functional Verification Methodology for Highly Parametrizable, Continuously Operating Safety-Critical FPGA Designs: Applied to the CERN RadiatiOn Monitoring Electronics (CROME)

“…All verification activities are documented in a version control system and can be reconstructed and reproduced. [23]. Several hundred units will be installed.…”

Comparative Analysis of Ultra-Low Current Measurement Topologies With Implementation in 130 nm Technology

“…In most current measurement applications, currents below picoamperes are considered to be leakage currents [1], [2]. However, for specific applications, such as biomedical signal processing [3] and environmental radiation monitoring [4], accurate measurements in the femtoampere range are often required. The bottleneck in such applications is elimination of the intrinsic leakage currents associated with the technology being used and the measurement environment.…”