Transuranic and tracer simulant resuspension. [/sup 238/Pu, /sup 239/Pu, /sup 240/Pu]

Conference · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1977

OSTI ID:7210173

Sehmel, G. A.

Plutonium resuspension results are summarized for experiments conducted at Rocky Flats, onsite on the Hanford reservation, and for winds blowing from offsite onto the Hanford reservation near the Prosser barricade boundary. In each case, plutonium resuspension was shown by increased airborne plutonium concentrations as a function of either wind speed or as compared to fallout levels. All measured airborne concentrations were below maximum permissible concentrations (MPC). Both plutonium and cesium concentrations on airborne soil were normalized by the quantity of airborne soil sampled. Airborne radionuclide concentrations in ..mu..Ci/g were related to published values for radionuclide concentrations on surface soils. For this ratio of radionuclide concentration per gram on airborne soil divided by that for ground surface soil, there are eight orders of magnitude uncertainty from 10/sup -4/ to 10/sup 4/. Horizontal plutonium fluxes on airborne nonrespirable soils at all three sites were bracketed within the same three to four orders of magnitude from 10/sup -7/ to 10/sup -3/ ..mu..Ci/(m/sup 2/ day) for plutonium-239 and 10/sup -8/ to 10/sup -5/ ..mu..Ci/(m/sup 2/ day) for plutonium-238. These are the entire experimental base for nonrespirable airborne plutonium transport. Airborne respirable plutonium-239 concentrations increased with wind speed for a southeast wind direction coming from offsite near the Hanford reservation Prosser barricade. Airborne plutonium fluxes on nonrespirable particles had isotopic ratios, /sup 240/Pu//sup 239 +240/Pu, similar to weapons grade plutonium rather than fallout plutonium. Resuspension rates were summarized for controlled inert particle tracer simulant experiments. Wind resuspension rates for tracers increased with wind speed to about the fifth power.

• Research Organization: Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, Wash. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-06-1830
• OSTI ID: 7210173
• Report Number(s): BNWL-SA-6236; CONF-770429-3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500300* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FALLOUT
HANFORD RESERVATION
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPE RATIO
ISOTOPES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEI
PARTICLE RESUSPENSION
PARTICLES
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM 239
PLUTONIUM 240
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
POLLUTION
RADIOACTIVE AEROSOLS
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
SIMULATION
SOILS
SOLS
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WIND
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES