Separation and quantitation of radionuclides in Hanford environmental and waste tank samples using IC-ICP/MS techniques

Conference · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996

OSTI ID:273546

Farmer, III, O T; Smith, M R; Wyse, E J; Barinage, C J; Koppenaal, D W ^[1]

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1. Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)

The use of shielded ICP/MS instrumentation to characterize radioactive material has seen marked growth over the past few years. With a lower limit detection now in the fg/mL range for newer units, ICP/MS has become the method of choice for many studies requiring rapid, isotopic analysis of both stable elements and radionuclides with half-lives greater than 102-103 years. However, despite its sensitivity and versatility, ICP/MS has heretofore had some notable limitations in certain radiological applications. For example, Hanford waste tank samples contain a variety of nuclides with altered isotopic abundances, which complicate identification of these nuclides. Even if a nuclide can be identified, conventional quantitation using vendor-supplied software assumes natural, or knowledge of, isotopic abundance. Difficult sample matrices like those obtained from the Hanford tanks can further complicate interpretation and quantitation. On-line ion chromatography (IC) has been recently employed to mitigate some these problems. By sequentially separating elements, isobars can be resolved, thereby permitting the unequivocal determination of isotopic abundances. But even though the technique resolves isobaric interferences and is effective in reducing matrix problems, IC does not easily lend itself to quantitation. Internal standards, which are crucial for quantitation during a prolonged ICP/MS analysis with varying eluant matrices, are separated or affected as any indigenous element is using standard IC methodology.

• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 273546
• Report Number(s): CONF-960113--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
40 CHEMISTRY
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CALIBRATION
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
HANFORD RESERVATION
ICP MASS SPECTROSCOPY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES