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U.S. Department of Energy
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Analysis of carbon-14 and tritium in reactor stack gas

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7330711
The analysis of gases from nuclear power stations include determination of tritium and /sup 14/C in several molecular forms. In this procedure, tritium water vapor is collected in a freeze trap, and /sup 14/C (as CO/sub 2/) is collected by precipitation in bubblers. Water vapor, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane gas carriers are added to a gas sample. The sample is drawn into the gas analysis system by means of a vacuum pump and is flushed through the system with purified air. HTO is collected in a freeze trap at -80C, and /sup 14/CO/sub 2/ is precipitated as barium carbonate with freshly prepared barium hydroxide in a bubbler. Water mist from the bubblers is then removed from the gas stream as the sample passes through a silica gel spray trap. The gas is then passed through the catalytic oxidation chamber, which converts the remaining gaseous hydrogen and carbon compounds to water and carbon dioxide. The water is collected in a second freeze trap, and the CO/sup 2/ is precipitated in a second bubbler. The precipitates are then transferred to glass vials and counted by liquid scintillation as a suspension. Minimum detectable levels for both /sup 3/H and /sup 14/C are 0.4 picocuries per sample for samples varying in size from 1 cc to 20 liters. (GRA)
Research Organization:
Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio (USA). Environmental Monitoring and Support Lab.
OSTI ID:
7330711
Report Number(s):
PB-248286; EPA-600/4-75/011
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English