Electrical Properties of Xenon-Filled Thermionic Diodes in the Radiation Field of a Nuclear Reactor

The properties of xenon‐filled thermionic diodes exposed to nuclear radiation in the core of a 5.0 MW nuclear reactor are described. Characteristic curves of current vs voltage are obtained as a function of various parametric changes in the radiation‐induced plasma between electrodes. The parameters, which are separately varied, are electrode spacing, xenon pressure, nuclear radiation intensity, and electrode temperatures. Electrical discharge phenomena in the radiation‐induced plasma were extensively studied. Breakdown at voltages much lower than the first excitation potential are described and this breakdown effect was studied as a function of the pressure of gas and the distance between electrodes. Results are also reported showing that the electrical discharge in the nuclear irradiated xenon plasma can be sustained with applied voltages as low as 1 V.