Apparatus for the field determination of concentration of radioactive constituents in a medium

Patent · 01 January 1995

OSTI ID:870028

Perkins, Richard W ^[1]; Schilk, Alan J ^[1]; Warner, Ray A ^[2]; Wogman, Ned A ^[1]

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1. Richland, WA
2. Benton City, WA

The instant invention is an apparatus for determining the concentration of radioactive constituents in a test sample; such as surface soils, via rapid real-time analyses, and direct readout on location utilizing a probe made up of multiple layers of detection material used in combination with an analyzer and real-time readout unit. This is accomplished by comparing the signal received from the probe, which can discriminate between types of radiation and energies with stored patterns that are based upon experimental results. This comparison can be used in the calibration of a readout display that reads out in real-time the concentrations of constituents per given volume. For example, the concentration of constituents such as Cs-137, Sr-90, U-238 in the soil, and noble gas radionuclides such as Kr-85 in the atmosphere, can be measured in real-time, on location, without the need for laboratory analysis of samples.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute (Richland, WA)
• Patent Number(s): US 5442180
• OSTI ID: 870028
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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