Advantages and disadvantages of gamma-ray spectral logging for site characterization of low-level radioactive waste
- Geological Survey of Canada, Ontario (Canada)
- Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Ontario (Canada); and others
The Borehole Geophysics Section of the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), in collaboration with the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office (LLRWMO) of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) recently investigated the application of borehole gamma-ray spectral logging to the characterization of sites contaminated with low-level radioactive waste (LLRW). Studies were conducted at two sites in Canada: the municipal landfill in the Town of Port Hope, Ontario which contains primarily radium contamination; and a temporary storage facility in Surrey, British Columbia which houses a sand/gravel/slag mixture with elevated thorium concentrations. In both cases, the gamma-ray spectral logs were successfully used to identify, delineate and quantify the radioactivity; however, a problem related to the movement of radon gas (from the uranium/radium decay series) into boreholes was encountered at the Port Hope site. In this paper, examples from both sites which demonstrate the advantages of gamma-ray spectral logging for characterizing LLRW are presented. The {open_quotes}radon problem{close_quotes} encountered at Port Hope is discussed, including its effect on the logging results and a procedure that was developed to reduce this effect.
- Research Organization:
- Arizona Univ., Tucson, AZ (United States). Coll. of Engineering and Mines; New Mexico State Univ., University Park, NM (United States); Waste-Management Education and Research Consortium (WERC), Las Cruces, NM (United States); USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 121038
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940225--Vol.2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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