Year
1997
Abstract
An integrated software package has been developed for measuring Special Nuclear Materials holdup. This new Windows®-based software package was developed to replace an older, character-based version called HMSII, and takes advantage of its graphical user interface. The software package, which is compatible with both Windows and Windows 95®, simplifies all aspects of holdup measurements. With the new software package, one can automatically configure multichannel analyzer/detector pairs with appropriate instrument settings, program the bar-code reader/controller, and do instrument calibration. During a holdup measurement, data are collected by a portable multichannel analyzer and stored in the bar-code reader/controller. After a measurements set is complete, data are uploaded from the bar-code reader/controller to a host computer and stored in a database in a single step. The database records can be analyzed to determine holdup, and the results can be printed in preformatted forms. The software was written using Visual Basic Professional® v 4.0a, and data are stored in Microsoft Access® databases. Reports are generated by the Crystal Reports® banded report writer, supplied with the Visual Basic kit. Advanced users can apply these and other tools to customize HMS3 to their specific needs.