Search

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) is a quasi-non-destructive technique capable of analyzing the outer monolayers of a solid sample and detecting all elements of the periodic table and their isotopes. Its ability to analyze the outer monolayers resides in sputtering the sample surface with a low-dose primary ion gun, which, in turn, imposes the use of a detector capable of counting a single ion at a time. Consequently, the detector saturates when more than one ion arrives at the same time hindering the use of TOF-SIMS for quantification purposes such as isotope ratio estimation. Even though a simple Poisson-based correction is usually implemented in TOF-SIMS acquisition software to compensate the detector saturation effects, this correction is only valid up to a certain extent and can be unnoticed by the inexperienced user. This tutorial describes a methodology based on different practices reported in the literature for dealing with the detector saturation effects and assessing the validity limits of Poisson-based correction when attempting to use TOF-SIMS data for quantification purposes. As a practical example, a dried lithium hydroxide solution was analyzed by TOF-SIMS with the aim of estimating the 6Li/7Li isotope ratio. The approach presented here can be used by new TOF-SIMS users on their own data for understanding the effects of detector saturation, determine the validity limits of Poisson-based correction, and take into account important considerations when treating the data for quantification purposes., (2023 Published under an exclusive license by the AVS.)

Wireless technology is becoming increasingly critical in industrial environments in recent years, and the popular wireless standards are WirelessHART, ZigBee, WLAN and ISA100.11a, commonly used in closed-loop systems. However, wireless networks in closed-loop control experience packet loss or drops, system delay and data threats, leading to process instability and catastrophic system failure. To prevent such issues, it is necessary to implement dead-time compensation control. Traditional techniques like model predictive and predictive PI controllers are frequently employed. However, these methods' performance is sluggish in wireless networks, with processes having long dead times and set-point variations, potentially affecting network and process performance. Therefore, this paper proposes a fractional calculus-based predictive PI compensator for wired and wireless networks in the process control industries. The proposed technique has been simulated and evaluated on industrial process models, including pressure, flow, and temperature, where measurement and control are carried out wirelessly. The wireless network's performance has been evaluated based on packet loss, reduced throughput, and increased system latency. The proposed compensator outperformed traditional methods, demonstrating superior set-point tracking, disturbance rejection, and delay compensation characteristics in the performance evaluations of the first, second, and third-order systems. Overall, the findings indicate that the proposed compensator enhances wireless networks' performance in the process control industry and improves system stability and reliability by reducing almost half of the overshoot and settling an average of 8.3927% faster than the conventional techniques in most of the systems., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

This paper has investigated the effect of operating parameters such as ambient temperature and applied voltage on the dead time of a thin-walled Geiger-Muller (GM) counter using non-paralyzing model and two-source method. Experimental studies have been conducted using 137Cs and 90Sr sources at voltages ranging from 600 to 800 V and in the temperature range of -27-70 0C. The results of the investigations for applied voltage indicate that the dead time behavior in terms of voltage can be classified into three distinct regions. In region I (low voltages), the dead time decreases with increasing voltage, in region II (voltage close to the operating voltage), the dead time is almost constant. The dead time in region III (voltages above 740V) increases slowly and linearly with increasing voltage. The variation in the dead time in the region I is greater than region III. Region II with the minimum dead time and minimum variation of the operating voltage is the best operating region. Studies show that the variation of dead time and the range of the dead time plateau (District II) for 137Cs and 90Sr sources is different. The dead time was using 137Cs source was obtained between 58 and 78 ms and using 90Sr source between 79 and 130 ms. In general, the variations of dead time versus voltage for each of Regions I, II and III for 90Sr source are lower than 137Cs source. Experimental results also show that the dead time increases with increasing temperature.

Abstract Background For therapeutic applications of several isotopes (e.g., 131I, 153Sm, 177Lu) in nuclear medicine, the high activities typically applied require accurate dead time correction in early time point imaging. We present a novel, straightforward dead time correction method using the Lambert W function, which is in principle exact for the paralyzable detector model with a single parameter τ (i.e., dead time). Results As a proof of concept, the method is validated with a simple model: a commonly used isotope, 99mTc, with a single photopeak. We measured count rates of a gamma camera both intrinsically and extrinsically (i.e., with collimators) with point sources in air and in a scatter phantom (extrinsic only). τ was estimated for both open window (τOW) and a 99mTc photopeak window (τTc), using a “graphical” method for fitting the count rate of decaying sources. These values for τ were subsequently used for dead time correction. τ varied significantly between the different geometries for both energy windows, but τOW was more reproducible than τTc, particularly for the scatter phantom measurements. τOW measured from the phantom measurements was approximately 30% lower than τOW from the intrinsic measurement but corresponded within 15% with the extrinsic point source measurements. Accordingly, using the intrinsic τOW led to an overcorrection of 8% at high count rates; τOW from the extrinsic point source measurements corrected the phantom measurement to within 2%. However, significant differences were observed between τTc values. All measured τTc values underestimated dead time losses in a second independent phantom measurement, with even τTc from the first phantom measurement underestimating activity with 5–10% at the highest count rates. Based on measurements of the effect of energy window settings and geometry, we tentatively attribute the added dead time losses to pulse pile-up. Conclusions Analytic dead time correction based on the Lambert W function is accurate for the range in which gamma detectors behave as paralyzable systems. However, further investigation indicated measured τ values to be variable with geometry as well as window fraction. We propose that dead time correction should be based on the open window value, τOW, corrected for window fraction.

Compared with the impulse LiDAR, the single-photon LiDAR has higher measurement sensitivity in the prominent feature, especially for space-based long-distance imaging. The distance measurement and the detection probability are the critical performance for LiDAR. The ranging of single-photon LiDAR is mainly different from the photon ranging of pulsed LiDAR. Dead time has a significant effect on distance measurement accuracy and detection probability, which are key parameters for detectors when implementing sound control. Therefore, the model of detector dead time, measurement accuracy, and detection probability should be established, and simulation results that meet application requirements should be achieved. Based on the single-photon ranging theory, the dead time, measurement accuracy, and detection probability model of single-photon LiDAR are studied. Furthermore, the systematic simulation of different contrasts is carried out according to the model. The simulation results demonstrate that the model can accurately perform the relationship between dead time and single-photon LiDAR system parameters. The research results can prove the design and verification of single-photon LiDAR dead time.

Most industrial processes are regulated using PID control. However, many such processes often operate far from optimally because PID may not be the most suitable control method. Moreover, second-order models represent a large class of all controlled systems. This work studies the performance of some commonly used industrial PID controllers relative to MPC to understand when it is more suitable to use Model predictive control. MPC is used for this comparison because it has been the most successful industrial controller after PID. It can be concluded from the studies that improved performance can be achieved with MPC, even for modest dead time and when the damping ratio is relatively low. These improvements are prominent for dead-time dominant systems, whose dead-time to time-constant ratio is at least three.

Unstable processes are hard to stabilize as they contain one or more positive poles which result in unbounded dynamic behavior. The occurrence of the delay and positive zeros often creates more difficulty in controlling such unstable plants. Most control strategies meant for first-order unstable processes fail to stabilize and control the higher-order unstable processes. Hence, a new dual-loop hybrid control structure is suggested for dead-time unbounded second-order processes with positive/negative zeros. Inner-loop has a stabilizing PID controller. The PID controller parameters are derived by comparing the numerator and characteristic polynomial coefficients in the transfer function for internal-loop servo action. A fractional-order internal model controller (FOIMC) is used in the external-loop. Methods for the selection of outer-loop tuning parameter and fractional-order are also discussed. By comparing the simulation results with a contemporary single-loop scheme, the usefulness of the suggested scheme is proved. The suggested scheme is capable of minimizing the overshoot and improving the overall dynamic performance. Finally, the usefulness of the suggested scheme is also demonstrated by a case study on temperature control of a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) during a first-order irrevocable exothermic reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The time delay element present in the PI controller brings dead-time compensation capability and shows improved performance for dead-time processes. However, design of robust time delayed PI controller needs much responsiveness for uncertainty in dead-time processes. Hence in this paper, robustness of time delayed PI controller has been analyzed for First Order plus Dead-Time (FOPDT) process model. The process having dead-time greater than three times of time constant is very sensitive to dead-time variation. A first order filter is introduced to ensure robustness. Furthermore, integral time constant of time delayed PI controller is modified to attain better regulatory performance for the lag-dominant processes. The FOPDT process models are classified into dead-time/lag dominated on the basis of dead-time to time constant ratio. A unified tuning method is developed for processes with a number of dead-time to time constant ratio. Several simulation examples and experimental evaluation are exhibited to show the efficiency of the proposed unified tuning technique. The applicability to the process models other than FOPDT such as high-order, integrating, right half plane zero systems are also demonstrated via simulation examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observed photon count rates must be corrected for detector dead time effects for accurate quantification, especially at high count rates. We present the "constant k-ratio" method, a new approach for calibrating dead time for wavelength dispersive spectrometers by measuring k-ratios as a function of beam current. The method is based on the observation that for a given emission line at a specific take-off angle and electron beam energy, the intensity ratio from two materials containing the element should remain constant as a function of beam current, if the dead time calibration is accurate. The method has the advantage that it does not rely on the linearity of the beam current picoammeter, yet also allows the analyst to evaluate the picoammeter linearity, another critical parameter in EPMA calibration. By simultaneously comparing k-ratios for all spectrometers, one can also ascertain k-ratio consensus, essential for inter-laboratory comparisons. We also introduce improved dead time expressions and provide best practices on how to perform these instrument calibrations using this new "constant k-ratio" method. These improvements enable quantitative analysis of major and minor elements with high accuracy at high beam currents, simultaneously with trace elements with high sensitivity, for point analyses and X-ray mapping., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest John Donovan is the president of Probe Software which offers automation and analysis software for EPMA instruments., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Microscopy Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

In a dual-bridge series resonant converter (DBSRC) working at a high switching frequency, the dead-time effect is a serious issue. When the minimum current trajectory (MCT) method is applied, the inductor current cannot be minimized due to the dead-time effect, and the range of the soft switching is reduced. Considering the dead-time, this paper first presents a theoretical analysis of the transmission power and the soft-switching characteristics based on the fundamental harmonic approximation (FHA) approach. Then, a minimum current trajectory method considering the dead-time (MCT-d) is proposed to achieve the minimum inductor current by compensating for the dead-time. This method can extend the soft-switching range as well. Finally, the experimental results validate the theoretical analysis and the improvement of the converter's efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detector dead time losses, caused by both physical components in the detection system and the electronic data acquisition system, are perhaps the most prominent effect in non-ideal detector behavior. Most mathematical modeling methods consider the detector as a single unit with a single dead time parameter, while a true physical detector is often comprised of several serially connected components, each suffering from independent dead time losses. In this study, we develop new formulas for evaluating the dead time losses in a detection system with two serially connected components, each component with a non paralyzing dead time, while assuming that the original count rate has a Poisson distribution. The analytic results obtained are first compared with numeric simulations (showing a very good correspondence) and are then used for numeric investigation of global boundaries of the dead time effect in serially connected systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]