Removal of {sup 222}Rn daughters from metal surfaces

Journal Article · Mon Aug 17 04:00:00 EDT 2015 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4928025· OSTI ID:22488739

Zuzel, G.; Wojcik, M. ^[1]; Majorovits, B. ^[2]; Lampert, M. O.; Wendling, P. ^[3]

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1. Jagiellonian University Institute of Physics, Lojasiewicza 11, 30-348 Kraków (Poland)
2. Max Planck Institute for Physics, Föhringer Ring 6, 80805 München (Germany)
3. Canberra-France, 1 Chemin de la Roseraie, B.P. 311, 67834 Tanneries Cedex (France)

Removal of the long-lived {sup 222}Rn daughters ({sup 210}Pb, {sup 210}Bi and {sup 210}Po) from copper, stainless steel and germanium surfaces was investigated. As cleaning techniques etching and electro-polishing was applied to samples in a form of discs exposed earlier to a strong radon source. Reduction of the {sup 210}Pb activity was tested using a HPGe spectrometer, for {sup 210}Bi a beta spectrometer and for {sup 210}Po an alpha spectrometer was used. According to the conducted measurements electro-polishing was always more efficient compared to etching and in case of copper the activity reduction factors for {sup 210}Pb, {sup 210}Bi and {sup 210}Po were between 200 and 400. Etching does not remove {sup 210}Po from copper but works very efficiently from germanium. Results obtained for {sup 210}Pb and {sup 210}Bi for etched stainless steel were worse but still slightly better than those achieved for copper.

• OSTI ID: 22488739
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1672; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALPHA SPECTROMETERS
BETA SPECTROMETERS
BISMUTH 210
CLEANING
COPPER
ETCHING
GERMANIUM
LEAD 210
POLISHING
POLONIUM 210
RADON
RADON 222
REMOVAL
STAINLESS STEELS