Rapid screening method for plutonium in mixed waste samples

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6107252

Somers, W; Culp, T; Miller, R

A waste stream sampling program was undertaken to determine those waste streams which contained hazardous constituents, and would therefore be regulated as a hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The waste streams also had the potential of containing radioactive material, either plutonium, americium, or depleted uranium. Because of the potential for contamination with radioactive material, a method of rapidly screening the liquid samples for radioactive material was required. A counting technique was devised to count a small aliquot of a sample, determine plutonium concentration, and allow the sample to be shipped the same day they were collected. This technique utilized the low energy photons (x-rays) that accompany ..cap alpha.. decay. This direct, non-destructive x-ray analysis was applied to quantitatively determine Pu-239 concentrations in industrial samples. Samples contained a Pu-239, Am-241 mixture; the ratio and/or concentrations of these two radionuclides was not constant. A computer program was designed and implemented to calculate Pu-239 activity and concentration (g/ml) using the 59.5 keV Am-241 peak to determine Am-241's contribution to the 17 keV region. Am's contribution was subtracted, yielding net counts in the 17 keV region due to Pu. 2 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Rockwell International Corp., Golden, CO (USA). Rocky Flats Plant
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP03533
• OSTI ID: 6107252
• Report Number(s): RFP-4135; CONF-870705-4; ON: DE87013383
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
440300 -- Miscellaneous Instruments-- (-1989)
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
AMERICIUM 241
AMERICIUM ISOTOPES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL WASTES
COMPUTER CALCULATIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
ISOTOPES
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MATERIALS
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
ROCKY FLATS PLANT
SCREENING
URANIUM ISOTOPES
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES
X-RAY EMISSION ANALYSIS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES