Literature survey of tritiated waste characterization and disposal
Characterizing, handling, and storing tritiated waste is challenging because of the physical and chemical properties of tritium. Tritium is soluble in many materials, including structural materials such as, stainless steel, structural steel, polymers, concrete and paints. Tritium permeates rapidly into these materials compared to other species, and so parts exposed to tritium are normally contaminated to some degree throughout the bulk. The relatively low kinetic energy of the {beta}-decay causes detecting tritium anywhere but very near the surface of materials to be impossible, because the {beta}-particle is absorbed by the material. Tritium readily exchanges with hydrogen in water vapor, and the resulting tritiated water can permeate polymers, concrete, oil, and the oxide surface films normally present on metals. Most of the tritium contamination in structural metals resides in the surface oxide film and in organic films at the surface, when metals are exposed to tritium at ambient temperature and pressure, whether the exposure is to gas or tritiated water. The most reliable method of assaying tritium is to dissolve samples in a proper liquid scintillant and use {beta}-scintillation counting. Other methods that require less time or are non-destructive (such as smear/counting) are significantly less reliable, but they can be used for routine waste characterization if sample dissolution/liquid scintillation counting is regularly employed to benchmark them.
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-89SR18035
- OSTI ID:
- 501522
- Report Number(s):
- WSRC-TR-96-0209; ON: DE97060181; TRN: 97:004374
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 6 Sep 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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