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K. Breitenecker, A. Maddison, H. Siegmund:
"Design of a Hybrid Control Model for Automatic Sample Changers at SGAS/IAEA";
Vortrag: EUROSIM 2010 - 7th Congress on Modelling and Simulation, Prague, Czech Republic; 06.09.2010 - 10.09.2010; in: "Proceedings of the 7th Congress on Modelling and Simulation", M. Snorek, M. Cepek, Z. Buk, J. Drchal (Hrg.); Vol.2 Full Papers (2010), ISBN: 978-80-01-04589-3; S. 1022 - 1025.

The International Atomic Energy Agency´s (IAEA) Safeguards Analytical Services (SGAS) and their laboratories analyze nuclear material and environmental samples taken by Safeguards Inspectors in the field. The radiometry team at the SGAS´s Environmental Laboratory (ESL) is responsible for detailed non-destructive sample screening prior any other analytical procedure, using a variety of radiometric techniques, such as gamma-spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and Secondary Electron Microscope (SEM). However, sample screening is very time consuming due the required measurement periods. Since working hours at SGAS are not 24/7, automatic sample changer systems can be used to save time and ensures the proper placement of samples on the detector. The ESL has a couple of sample changers (both, turntables and robotic arms) for gamma-screening, but since some of them have come to a certain age, the radiometry teams thinks of an open solution to replace old relay-based control units with new ones. Thus, a modern and flexible control unit was developed in LabView (Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench), to fulfill all the requirements needed as well for robotic arms systems as for turntable systems: starting/stopping a measurement, moving the turntable/robotic arm, monitoring intrinsic
systems parameters, but also managing the data storage, barcode screening and reporting. To ensure best variability all these tasks can be mounted as subroutines to the controller. Thus, it consists of two main control units, one for sample changing and the other one for data handling. LabView has been proven to be a good choice was for the new sample changer´s control unit, and it is able to control both, turntable sampling changers and robotic arms.

Automatic Sample Changer, Control Unit, LabView, Machine Monitoring