Rapid assay of plutonium in soils by passive L x-ray counting
A technique has been developed to rapidly measure the presence of plutonium in soils, filters, smears, and glass waste forms by measuring the uranium L-shell x-ray emissions associated with the decay of plutonium. In addition, the technique can simultaneously acquire spectra of samples and automatically analyze them for the amount of americium, and gamma-ray emitting activation and fission products present. The samples are counted with a large area, thin-window, n-type Ge spectrometer which is equally efficient for the detection of low energy x-rays (>10 key), as well as high-energy gamma rays (>1 MeV). A 8192-channel analyzer is used to acquire the entire photon spectrum at one time. A dual-energy, time-tagged pulser, that is injected into the test input of the preamplifier to monitor the energy scale, detector resolution, and pulse pile-up will be installed in FY-92. The L x-ray portion of each spectrum is analyzed by a linear least-squares spectral fitting technique originally developed for the analysis of spectra from NaI(Tl) detectors. The gamma-ray portion of each spectrum is analyzed by a standard Ge gamma-ray analysis package. Detection limits (also referred to as lower limits of detection) for plutonium in contaminated soils that have been achieved by this technique are reported.
- Research Organization:
- EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-76ID01570
- OSTI ID:
- 7237629
- Report Number(s):
- EGG-WTD-10256; ON: DE92017997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400101* -- Activation
Nuclear Reaction
Radiometric & Radiochemical Procedures
ACTINIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CONTAMINATION
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
GAMMA RADIATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MANAGEMENT
METALS
PLUTONIUM
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIATIONS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOMETRIC ANALYSIS
SOILS
SPECTRA
SURFACE CONTAMINATION
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE FORMS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
X RADIATION
X-RAY SPECTRA