Automatic radioxenon analyzer for CTBT monitoring

Technical Report · Sun Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/431123· OSTI ID:431123

Bowyer, T W; Abel, K H; Hensley, W K ^[1]

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1. and others

Over the past 3 years, with support from US DOE`s NN-20 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) R&D program, PNNL has developed and demonstrated a fully automatic analyzer for collecting and measuring the four Xe radionuclides, {sup 131m}Xe(11.9 d), {sup 133m}Xe(2.19 d), {sup 133}Xe (5.24 d), and {sup 135}Xe(9.10 h), in the atmosphere. These radionuclides are important signatures in monitoring for compliance to a CTBT. Activity ratios permit discriminating radioxenon from nuclear detonation and that from nuclear reactor operations, nuclear fuel reprocessing, or medical isotope production and usage. In the analyzer, Xe is continuously and automatically separated from the atmosphere at flow rates of about 7 m{sup 3}/h on sorption bed. Aliquots collected for 6-12 h are automatically analyzed by electron-photon coincidence spectrometry to produce sensitivities in the range of 20-100 {mu}Bq/m{sup 3} of air, about 100-fold better than with reported laboratory-based procedures for short time collection intervals. Spectral data are automatically analyzed and the calculated radioxenon concentrations and raw gamma- ray spectra automatically transmitted to data centers.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 431123
• Report Number(s): PNNL--11424; ON: DE97050869
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

35 ARMS CONTROL
40 CHEMISTRY
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR
COMPLIANCE
MONITORING
NUCLEAR EXPLOSION DETECTION
RADIOMETRIC ANALYSIS
TREATIES
XENON ISOTOPES