Re: Tritium Control (fwd)

[Bruce Busby <bbusby@umich.edu>]

Trtitium, part 2

Looking up the range of a 18 keV beta, from the 1970 rad heath handbook 
for beta particle range vs energy for low Z material, you get a number 
about 0.55 mg/cm^2.
                                                                          
 my calculator says that .55 mg/cm^2 is less than .2 inches of air, 
( from the radhealth handbook 1970 density air - 1.293E-03 gm/cm^3). 
- in water that is 0.00024 inches.                                   
In Knoll, 1989, page 210, he states"[GM] window thicknesses as small 
as 1.5 mg/cm^2 are commercially available." 

The tritium beta should not get through the window, which is three times 
the range of the Maximum energy beta.
       
-Bruce Busby