Rapid determination of plutonium content on filters and smears using Alpha Liquid Scintillation

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6972138

Shaw, P G

This paper discusses a technique for rapidly determining plutonium content on filters and smears using Alpha Liquid Scintillation. Filter and smear samples will be analyzed daily for plutonium (Pu{sup 239}) content during projected waste retrieval operations at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. daily monitoring will allow for trending of airborne and surface contamination. Alpha Liquid Scintillation (ALS) in conjunction with microwave digestion was investigated as a technique for rapid Pu analyses. Advantages offered by ALS are short turnaround time and field use with acceptable accuracy. A state-of-the-art Photon Electron Rejecting Alpha Liquid Scintillation (PERALS) Spectrometer utilizing pulse shape discrimination (PSD), and on oil filled photomultiplier tube counting chamber with 99.7% counting efficiency and 99.95% rejection of beta and gamma pulses, was used. Relatively clean filter samples could be directly counted in an all purpose scintillant, bis 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (HDEHP), 4-biphenyl-6-phenylbenzoxazole (PBBO), toluene and naphthalene. Laboratory preparation of soil samples and smears with high inert solids content was accomplished by dissolution of the sample in nitric and hydrofluoric acids using a microwave digestion system in teflon pressure vessels. The Pu in the dissolved sample was extracted into tertiary amine nitrate and counted in a HDEHP or 1-nonyldecylamine sulfate (NDAS) containing extractive scintillant. This method is applicable to the determination of total plutonium in air filters, smears and soils. 9 refs., 8 figs., 5 tabs.

• Research Organization: EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/NE
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 6972138
• Report Number(s): EGG-M-89295; CONF-891082--3; ON: DE90010987
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400101 -- Activation
Nuclear Reaction
Radiometric & Radiochemical Procedures
440101* -- Radiation Instrumentation-- General Detectors or Monitors & Radiometric Instruments
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540130 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540230 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
AIR FILTERS
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ALPHA DETECTION
AROMATICS
AZOLES
BENZOXAZOLES
CHARGED PARTICLE DETECTION
CONDENSED AROMATICS
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DETECTION
DISSOLUTION
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY RESOLUTION
EQUIPMENT
ESTERS
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
EXTRACTION
FILTERS
HDEHP
HEAVY NUCLEI
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROCARBONS
IDAHO NATIONAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY
ISOTOPES
LIQUID SCINTILLATORS
MATERIALS
MONITORING
NAPHTHALENE
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
OXAZOLES
PHOSPHORIC ACID ESTERS
PHOSPHORS
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
RESOLUTION
SCINTILLATION COUNTING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOILS
TOLUENE
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES