Technology information profile: RL321103 -- In situ gamma spectrometer

Technical Report · Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10110273· OSTI ID:10110273

Schilk, A J

Past operations of uranium production and support facilities at several Department of Energy (DOE) sites have occasionally resulted in the local contamination of some surface and subsurface soils. Such contamination commonly occurs within waste burial sites, cribs, pond bottom sediments, and areas surrounding waste tanks or uranium scrap, ore, tailing, and slag heaps. The thorough cleanup of these sites is a major public concern and a high priority for the DOE, but before any effective remedial protocols can be established, the three-dimensional distributions of the uranium contaminants must be adequately characterized. Unfortunately, traditional means of obtaining soil activities (e.g., grab sampling followed by laboratory analyses) are notoriously cumbersome, expensive, time-consuming, and often non-representative when very large areas are being surveyed. Hence, new technologies must be developed, or existing ones improved, to allow for the cheaper, better, faster (i.e., real-time) and safer characterization of uranium concentrations at these critical sites. The primary objective for this program is to develop, construct, and field/pilot test the in situ gamma spectrometer for the rapid measurement of uranium in surface and shallow subsurface soils at the Fernald site in Ohio.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 10110273
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-23363; ON: DE94004594; TRN: 94:001506
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: Nov 1993
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
OHIO
FEED MATERIALS PRODUCTION CENTER
REMEDIAL ACTION
GAMMA SPECTROMETERS
DESIGN
PERFORMANCE TESTING
URANIUM
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
SOILS
CONTAMINATION
054000
540230
440103
HEALTH AND SAFETY
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
NUCLEAR SPECTROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTATION