Sensors and Automated Analyzers for Radionuclides

Conference · Thu Mar 27 00:00:00 EST 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/833657· OSTI ID:826399

Grate, Jay W; Egorov, Oleg B

The production of nuclear weapons materials has generated large quantities of nuclear waste and significant environmental contamination. We have developed new, rapid, automated methods for determination of radionuclides using sequential injection methodologies to automate extraction chromatographic separations, with on-line flow-through scintillation counting for real time detection. This work has progressed in two main areas: radionuclide sensors for water monitoring and automated radiochemical analyzers for monitoring nuclear waste processing operations. Radionuclide sensors have been developed that collect and concentrate radionuclides in preconcentrating minicolumns with dual functionality: chemical selectivity for radionuclide capture and scintillation for signal output. These sensors can detect pertechnetate to below regulatory levels and have been engineered into a prototype for field testing. A fully automated process monitor has been developed for total technetium in nuclear waste streams. This instrument performs sample acidification, speciation adjustment, separation and detection in fifteen minutes or less.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC) (US)
• OSTI ID: 826399
• Resource Relation: Conference: 225th American Chemical Society Meeting, New Orleans, LA (US), 03/23/2003--03/27/2003; Other Information: PBD: 27 Mar 2003
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
ACIDIFICATION
CONTAMINATION
DETECTION
MONITORING
MONITORS
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
PERTECHNETATES
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
SCINTILLATION COUNTING
SCINTILLATIONS
TECHNETIUM