Air sampler performance at Ford's farm range

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6607161· OSTI ID:6607161

Glissmeyer, J A; Johnston, J W

An air-sampling system for a large-caliber depleted uranium (DU) penetrator firing range was tested. The objectives of the test were: to determine the bias between the monitoring readings and DU concentrations; and to determine if the target bay real-time monitor (RTM) tracks the decaying dust concentration. The test procedure was to operate total and respirable airborne particle samplers adjacent to the target bay monitors. A series of air samples was also taken after the test firings adjacent to the target bay RTM. Exhaust particle samples were analyzed for gross alpha, gross beta and uranium content. The target bay RTM correlated well (0.977) with the sequential samples. Average concentration from the RTM did not correlate with either the long-term total or respirable sampler DU concentrations. The monitor used to confirm a low dust concentration when the door is open correlated well (0.810) with the RTM; the other bay monitor did not. In the ventilation discharge, the long-term average monitor readings did not correlate with DU concentrations, probably due to levels near lower detection limits. Smearable surface-contamination samples showed highest contamination on the equipment, gravel floor and exhaust intake. The location air-intake contamination increased over the first 3 rounds. Contamination was reduced by a low-pressure water spray washdown to about the same concentration as often the second round, then remained at about twice the level. 2 references, 18 figures, 16 tables. (MF)

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6607161
• Report Number(s): PNL-5085; ON: DE84016283
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520300* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDES
AIR POLLUTION
AIR SAMPLERS
CLEANING
DATA
DECONTAMINATION
DEPLETED URANIUM
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
INFORMATION
METALS
MONITORING
NUMERICAL DATA
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
PERFORMANCE TESTING
POLLUTION
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
SAMPLERS
TESTING
URANIUM