25 YEARS OF AIR BATH CALORIMETRY DEVELOPMENT AT MOUND1

During the first decades of heat flow calorimeter development, the water bath calorimeter was the only option for those requiring calorimeter support. Over the last several years, an extensive amount of work has been accomplished on the development of air bath calorimeters. Air bath calorimetry development began as an effort to eliminate water from the nuclear material control areas. The first air bath calorimeters had less accuracy than their water bath equivalents, but offered somewhat shorter run times. Through further evolution and innovations, today's air bath calorimeters offer nearly identical accuracies as water bath calorimeters with shorter assay times. The technology used in these calorimeters is paving the way for additional developments in calorimetry design. This paper will examine the development of the Mound air bath calorimeter, discuss its current capabilities and show how Mound air bath technology is being used in advanced calorimetry applications.