Radiochemical
Analysis
RD Canaan, MR
Chattin, CL Watson
The RMAL performs radiochemical measurements on sample types
which vary from water to highly complex matrices of waste tanks to a wide
variety of wildlife on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR).
Counting equipment available at the RMAL and field laboratories
are:
Located In Building
2026
- A Packard 2750 Liquid Scintillation Counter
- 2- Protean Instrument Co, Alpha/Beta proportional
counters
- A 4-Detector Tennelec LB4000 Low Background Alpha/Beta
proportional counter
- A Tennelec LB5100 Low Background Alpha/Beta proportional
counter with automatic sample changer
- A Canberra Industries, Nuclear Data Genie ESP Multichannel
Analyzer which currently has multiple HpGe detectors, and multiple alpha
spectrometers attached
Located At The High Flux Isotope
Reactor Off-Gas Stack (7911)
- An Ortec EG&G® Noble Gas
Monitoring System which uses a refrigerated (does not require LN2) HpGe
detector to monitor noble gas emissions in the HFIR reactor stack
off-gas
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 |
Located At The TWRA Deer Checking
Station
- 2- TMCA Multichannel Analyzers connected to 2- 6" NaI(Tl)
detectors used to monitor gamma radioactivity in a variety of measurements
performed on wildlife on the Oak Ridge Reservation,
- Ludlum Measurements, Model 2200 Scaler/Timer connected to a
Ludlum Model 44-1 plastic phosphor beta detector used to monitor beta activity
in bone samples during ORR TWRA managed hunts.
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 |
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Annual Oak
Ridge Reservation Hunt Information
The RMAL routinely performs the
following radiochemical analyses:
- Gross Alpha/Gross Beta by
gas-flow proportional counting.
- Total Activity by Liquid
Scintillation Counting (LSC).
- Total Radioactive Strontium
(89Sr + 90Sr).
- Tritium as
T2O and HTO after distillation (counting done
by LSC).
- Gamma Spectrometry
(60Co, 134Cs,
137Cs, 152Eu,
154Eu, 155Eu,
etc.).
- 99Tc by ICP-MS after
chemical separation.
- 63Ni by LSC after
chemical separation.
- Additional radionuclide
measurements available upon request.
- Total Pu Alpha after chemical
separation.
- Alpha pulse-height
analysis:
Common Radionuclides Observed
by Alpha
Spectrometry
| Radionuclide |
Nominal
Energy
(MeV) |
| 232Th |
4.01 |
| 238U |
4.20 |
| 235U |
4.40 |
| 230Th |
4.70 |
| 233U +
234U |
4.80 |
| 242Pu |
4.90 |
| 239Pu +
240Pu |
5.15 |
| 228Th |
5.40 |
| 241Am +
238Pu |
5.50 |
| 244Cm |
5.80 |
| 252Cf |
6.11 |
Radionuclides Routinely
Measured by ICP-MS
| Isotope |
Specific
Activity
(Bq/g) |
| Americium
Isotopes |
| 241Am |
1.27E+11 |
| 243Am |
7.37E+09 |
| Plutonium
Isotopes |
| 238Pu |
6.33E+11 |
| 239Pu |
2.30E+09 |
| 240Pu |
8.40E+09 |
| 241Pu |
3.81E+12 |
| 242Pu |
1.45E+08 |
| 244Pu |
5.51E+05 |
| Neptunium
Isotopes |
| 237Np |
2.66E+07 |
| Uranium
Isotopes |
| 232U |
8.29E+11 |
| 233U |
3.57E+08 |
| 234U |
2.30E+08 |
| 235U |
7.11E+04 |
| 236U |
2.41E+06 |
| 238U |
1.24E+04 |
| Thorium Isotopes |
| 229Th |
7.91E+09 |
| 230Th |
7.63E+08 |
| 232Th |
4.06E+03 |
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