The effects of nuclear radiation on the electrical strength of air

With the emphasis today upon extended environmental conditions for electronic equipment used in military aircraft and guided missiles, there is a pressing need for the simultaneous testing of such equipment under two or more of these extreme environments. This paper describes a program completed by the General Electric Company covering the testing of spark gaps in the Brookhaven National Laboratory´s graphic reactor. It consisted of a 2-week in-pile exposure designed to investigate the voltage breakdown strength of air at various pressures in the presence of intense nuclear radiation of the following approximate levels: Fast flux: 1 × 1011 fast neutrons per cm2-sec (centimeter2-seconds) Thermal flux: 2 × 1012 thermal neutrons per cm2-sec Gamma flux: 1 × 1012 gamma photons per cm-sec2