A remotely operated, field deployable tritium analysis system for surface and groundwater measurement

Technical Report · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/491524· OSTI ID:491524

Cable, P R; Hofstetter, K J; Beals, D M; Jones, J D; Collins, S L ^[1]; Noakes, J E; Spaulding, J D; Neary, M P ^[2]; Peterson, R ^[3]

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1. Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
2. Center for Applied Isotope Studies, Athens, GA (United States)
3. Sampling Systems, Inc., Old Ocean, TX (United States)

A prototype system for the remote, in situ analysis of tritium in surface and ground waters has been developed at the Savannah River Site through the combined efforts of university, private industry, and government laboratory personnel under a project funded by the DOE/OTD. Using automated liquid scintillation counting techniques, the Field Deployable Tritium Analysis System (FDTAS) has been shown in laboratory and limited field tests to have sufficient sensitivity to measure tritium in water samples at environmental levels (10 Bq/L [{approximately}300 pCi/L] for a 100-minute count) on a near-real time basis. These limits are well below the EPA drinking water standard for tritium at 740 Bq/L (1) and lower than the normal upstream Savannah River tritium concentration of {approximately}40 Bq/L (2). The FDTAS consists of a fixed volume sampler (50 mL), an on-line water purification system, and a stop-flow liquid scintillation counter for detecting tritium in the purified sample. All operations are controlled and monitored by a remote computer using standard telephone line modem communications. The FDTAS offers a cost-effective alternative to the expensive and time-consuming methods of field sample collection and laboratory analyses for tritium in contaminated groundwater.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• OSTI ID: 491524
• Report Number(s): WSRC-MS--96-0384; CONF-970113--4; ON: DE97060134
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
COMPUTER CALCULATIONS
CONTAMINATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GROUND WATER
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIATION MONITORS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
REMOTE CONTROL
SCINTILLATION COUNTING
SURFACE WATERS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TRITIUM