Ion beam analyses of radionuclide migration in heterogeneous rocks

Journal Article · Thu Jul 18 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4812909· OSTI ID:22121675

Alonso, Ursula; Missana, Tiziana; Garcia-Gutierrez, Miguel ^[1]; Patelli, Alessandro ^[2]; Rigato, Valentino; Ceccato, Daniele ^[3]

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1. CIEMAT, Avda. Complutense 40, Madrid 28040 (Spain)
2. CIVEN, Via delle Industrie 5, Venezia-Marghera 30175 (Italy)
3. LNL-INFN, Viale dell' Universita 2, Legnaro-Padova 35020 (Italy)

The migration of radionuclides (RN) in the environment is a topic of general interest, for its implications on public health, and it is an issue for the long-term safety studies of deep geological repositories (DGR) for high-level radioactive waste. The role played by colloids on RN migration is also of great concern. Diffusion and sorption are fundamental mechanisms controlling RN migration in rocks and many experimental approaches are applied to determine transport parameters for low sorbing RN in homogeneous rocks. However, it is difficult to obtain relevant data for high sorbing RN or colloids, for which diffusion lengths are extremely short, or within heterogeneous rocks, where transport might be different in different minerals. The ion beam techniques Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and micro-Particle Induced X-Ray Emission ({mu}PIXE), rarely applied in the field, were selected for their micro-analytical potential to study RN diffusion and surface retention within heterogeneous rocks. Main achievements obtained during last 12 years are highlighted.

• OSTI ID: 22121675
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1530; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
DIFFUSION LENGTH
ENVIRONMENT
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
ION BEAMS
ION MICROPROBE ANALYSIS
MINERALS
PIXE ANALYSIS
PUBLIC HEALTH
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
ROCKS
RUTHERFORD BACKSCATTERING SPECTROSCOPY
SAFETY ANALYSIS
SORPTION
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL