ADAPTATION OF A GLOW-DISCHARGE MASS-SPECTROMETER IN A GLOVE-BOX FOR THE ANALYSIS OF NUCLEAR-MATERIALS

A VG9000 glow discharge mass spectrometer has been modified for the di rect analysis of solid nuclear samples within a glove-box environment. Because containment is needed for the analysis of this kind of materi al, the glove-box encloses all parts of the instrument that come into contact with the sample, namely the ion source chamber, sample interlo ck and associated pumping system. External modifications eliminate out side contamination by the fitting of absolute filters on all source su pplies. Internally, the design of the ion source has been altered to m inimize the number of operations performed inside the glove-box thereb y simplifing operation and routine maintenance. These modifications re tain the ion extraction and focusing properties of the instrument. The data presented show that there is no compromise in the analytical per formance of the instrument when placed in the glove-box. Data represen tative of nuclear materials is also shown.