High Radiation & Magnetic Field

Particle Accelerators

Capacitec non-contact displacement sensors thrive in harsh environments. An example is where Capacitec model HPB sensors were installed directly in the chamber of a particle accelerator at CERN. The capacitive sensors maintained the perfect alignment of a particle detector in a gap measuring only 0.050" (1.27mm), at 300°F (149°C) and in a chamber exposed to 2 Tesla magnetic field along with 10⁷ RADS of radiation. This is not a job for your average displacement sensor but Capacitec sensors have performed this task flawlessly since the late 1980s.

Other particle accelerator application examples where Capacitec has installed high radiation and magnetic field non-contact capacitive displacement systems are at Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC), Fermilab, DESI, Brookhaven National Laboratory and BaBar. Photo courtesy of SLAC.

Nuclear Component End of Life Testing

Another example of where Capacitec non-contact displacement sensors thrive in harsh environments is in Nuclear Component End of Life Testing. In this case the capacitive sensing system is used to test nuclear components at radiation levels with accumulative doses up to 10²⁰ RADS. Examples of organizations using Capacitec high radiation displacement sensing systems are Argonne National Laboratory, ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory and AECL Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.

Additional High Radiation or Magnetic Field Displacement Sensor Applications:

• Linear inductive motor
• Diesel fuel injectors
• Vibration measurements to 200 kHz
• Turbochargers