Method for assay of radioactivity in waste soil

Conference · Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:7239750

Bramlitt, E T; Willhoite, S B

Contaminated soil is a result of many nuclear operations. During facility decommissioning or site cleanup, it may be packaged for disposal. The waste soil must be assayed for contaminants to follow transport regulations and waste handling facility requirements. Methods used for assay include the following: (1) sampling the ground before excavation and assuming ground data apply to soil when packaged; (2) analyzing samples taken from the soil added to a package; (3) counting radiation at the exterior of the package; and (4) measuring neutron absorption by packaged waste soil. The Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) worked with Eberline Instruments Corporation (EIC) to develop an automated assay method for the waste stream in a plutonium-contaminated soil cleanup at Johnston Atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. The perfected method uses a personal computer, an electronic weighing scale, and a programmable radiation counter. Computer programs get weight and radiation counts at frequent intervals as packages fill, calculate activity in the waste, and produce reports. The automated assay method is an efficient one-person routine that steadfastly collects data and produces a comprehensive record on packaged waste.

• OSTI ID: 7239750
• Report Number(s): CONF-911107-; CODEN: TANSA
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Vol. 64; Conference: 1991 Winter meeting of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) session on fundamentals of fusion reactor thermal hydraulics, San Francisco, CA (United States), 10-15 Nov 1991; ISSN 0003-018X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
REMEDIAL ACTION
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
SOILS
ACTIVITY LEVELS
AUTOMATION
BACKGROUND RADIATION
COLLIMATORS
CONTAMINATION
DECOMMISSIONING
GAMMA DETECTION
NEUTRON FLUX
PACKAGING
PLUTONIUM
RADIATION MONITORING
REGULATIONS
SAMPLING
TRANSPORT
ACTINIDES
DETECTION
ELEMENTS
MATERIALS
METALS
MONITORING
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATION FLUX
RADIATIONS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
WASTES
054000* - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety
053002 - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects- Radioactive Effluents- (1992-)
400102 - Chemical & Spectral Procedures
400701 - Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry- Hot-Atom Chemistry