Straw tube detectors are single wire proportional counters that are widely used as tracking devices. We have carried out R&D activity with a straw tube detector prototype. The aim of this work is to study the stability of the performance in terms of gain and energy resolution of these types of detectors under high rate of radiation. The gain and energy resolution of the detector are studied along with its variation with ambient temperature and pressure. X-rays from a radioactive source are used to irradiate the detector and to monitor the energy spectra simultaneously for calculating the gain. The method followed here is unique as the ageing measurements have been performed without using an accelerated particle beam or any radiation generator. The performance of a straw tube detector has been studied in a laboratory for more than 800 h at a stretch using a single sealed radioactive X-ray source with high intensity. Variation of gain and energy resolution of the straw tube detector under X-ray irradiation in \(\hbox {Ar}/\hbox {CO}_2\) gas mixture (volume ratio 80/20) is discussed in this article. The gain of an aged straw depends on gas flow rate. We have estimated the time required for the gain of a straw tube detector under ageing tests to recover on increasing the gas flow rate. We have also estimated the time resolution of the straw tube detectors by using cosmic rays as the trigger for the \(\hbox {Ar}/\hbox {CO}_2\) gas mixture in 70/30 volume ratio (different gas mixture was used for the measurement of the time resolution). This type of ageing and time resolution measurements in \(\hbox {Ar}/\hbox {CO}_2\) gas mixture has not been reported earlier. The details of the measurement process and the experimental results are presented in this article.

稻草管检测器是单线比例计数器，被广泛用作跟踪设备。我们已经通过吸管探测器原型进行了研发活动。这项工作的目的是研究在高辐射率下这些类型探测器的增益和能量分辨率方面的性能稳定性。研究了探测器的增益和能量分辨率以及其随环境温度和压力的变化。来自放射源的X射线用于照射检测器并同时监视能谱以计算增益。此处采用的方法是唯一的，因为在不使用加速粒子束或任何辐射发生器的情况下进行了老化测量。在实验室中，使用高强度的单个密封放射线X射线源对秸秆检测器的性能进行了长达800多个小时的研究。X射线照射下吸管检测器的增益和能量分辨率的变化。本文讨论了\（\ hbox {Ar} / \ hbox {CO} _2 \）混合气体（体积比为80/20）。老化秸秆的增益取决于气体流速。我们估算了老化测试下吸管检测器的增益随气体流速的增加而恢复所需的时间。我们还通过使用宇宙射线作为体积比为70/30的\（\ hbox {Ar} / \ hbox {CO} _2 \）气体混合物的触发信号，估算了吸管探测器的时间分辨率。用于时间分辨率的测量）。在\（\ hbox {Ar} / \ hbox {CO} _2 \）混合气体中进行这种老化和时间分辨率测量的方法之前尚未见过报道。本文介绍了测量过程和实验结果的详细信息。