Modeling β-γ coincidence spectra of <Superscript>131m</Superscript>Xe, <Superscript>133</Superscript>Xe, <Superscript>133m</Superscript>Xe,and <Superscript>135</Superscript>Xe

In support of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), improvements have been made to the model of the Automated Radioxenon Sampler/Analyzer (ARSA) β-γ coincidence detector for radioxenon monitoring. MCNPX is used to simulate the detector response for all the electrons and photons emitted from ^131mXe, ¹³³Xe, ^133mXe, ¹³⁵Xe, and ¹³⁷Cs signals. A MatLab code was written to incorporate the MCNPX results in the calculation of β-γ coincidence spectra. These will aid in the development of the Spectral Deconvolution Analysis Tool (SDAT)¹ and to calibrate β-γ coincidence systems. The models developed for this work include improvements over previous models in their ability to address Compton scattering in the β-cell, and the β-distribution offset in the 31 keV γ-ray region for ¹³³Xe.     

Separation of <Superscript>133</Superscript>Xe from <Superscript>99</Superscript>Mo, <Superscript>131</Superscript>I and uranium,and removal of impurities using gas chromatography

Summary Separation and purification of ¹³³Xe from acidic solution containing uranium, ⁹⁹Mo and ¹³¹I has been developed. In the first step of this work, uranium pellets were dissolved under pressure (8-15 bar) in 8M nitric acid solution. Then¹³³ Xe and other gases were conducted to activated charcoal cold trap. Final purification of ¹³³Xe from impurities such as NO_x, radioiodine and krypton was performed by passing through a molecular sieve preparative chromatographic column using helium as mobile phase. The final recovery of ¹³³Xe from the separation-purification process was higher than 98%. Adsorption-desorption behavior of radioxenon on the charcoal and molecular sieves have also been studied and discussed.     

SDAT: analysis of <Superscript>131m</Superscript>Xe with <Superscript>133</Superscript>Xe interference

The Spectral Deconvolution Analysis Tool (SDAT) software was developed at The University of Texas at Austin. SDAT utilizes a standard spectrum technique for the analysis of β–γ coincidence spectra. Testing was performed on the software to compare the standard spectrum analysis technique with a region of interest (ROI) analysis technique. Experimentally produced standard spectra and sample data were produced at the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory (NETL) TRIGA reactor. The results of the testing showed that the standard spectrum technique had lower errors than the ROI analysis technique for samples with low counting statistics. In contrast, the ROI analysis technique outperformed the standard spectrum technique in high counting statistics samples. It was also shown that the standard spectrum technique benefitted from a compression of the number of channels within the spectra.     

Production of <Superscript>37</Superscript>Ar in The University of Texas TRIGA reactor facility

The detection of ³⁷Ar is important for On-Site Inspections (OSI) for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty monitoring. In an underground nuclear explosion this radionuclide is produced by ⁴⁰Ca(n,α)³⁷Ar reaction in surrounding soil and rock. With a half-life of 35 days, ³⁷Ar provides a signal useful for confirming the location of an underground nuclear event. An ultra-low-background proportional counter developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is used to detect ³⁷Ar, which decays via electron capture. The irradiation of Ar gas at natural enrichment in the 3L facility within the Mark II TRIGA reactor facility at The University of Texas at Austin provides a source of ³⁷Ar for the calibration of the detector. The ⁴¹Ar activity is measured by the gamma activity using an HPGe detector after the sample is removed from the core. Using the ⁴¹Ar/³⁷Ar production ratio and the ⁴¹Ar activity, the amount of ³⁷Ar created is calculated. The ⁴¹Ar decays quickly (half-life of 109.34 min) leaving a radioactive sample of high purity ³⁷Ar and only trace levels of ³⁹Ar.     

Preparation of <Superscript>95m</Superscript>Tc radiotracer

Several procedures for preparation of the ^95mTc radiotracer following irradiation of a thin Mo target with deuterons were tested. The procedures consisting of alkaline-oxidative fusion of the irradiated target in a mixture of Na₂O₂ + NaOH and subsequent liquid–liquid extraction with 2-butanone, and acid decomposition of the target in a mixture of H₂SO₄ + HNO₃ followed by extraction chromatography with PAN-Aliquat 336 composite material appeared suitable for the given purpose.     

Tectonic setting discrimination and<Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript>Ar isotope geochronology of the Miba granite

The Miba granite is located in the juncture of Kang County in eastern Gansu Province and Lueyang County in Shanxi Province. It is considered to be the post-orogenic granite (POG-type) by major element discrimination method of Maniar.⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating indicates that its emplacement time is about 240—230 Ma and it is the result of the Indo-Sinian magmatism. In the early Yanshan period (about 193.8 Ma), a thermal event resulted in the partial opening of the argon isotope system of the biotite.     

Preparation of calibration sources of <Superscript>88</Superscript>Kr and <Superscript>138</Superscript>Xe for HPGe detector

A method of efficiency calibration for the measurement of ⁸⁸Kr and ¹³⁸Xe by HPGe γ-spectrometer is proposed in the present paper. The question for the efficient calibration is, how to achieve homogeneous sources of ⁸⁸Kr-⁸⁸Rb and ¹³⁸Xe-¹³⁸Cs. The fission product gases were obtained by irradiating a precisely measured amount of U₃O₈ (90% ²³⁵U) filled in a quartz glass ampoule. Source cell was first filled up with stearic acid, and then the fission product gases were charged into it. Xenon and krypton are not adsorbed on stearic acid, therefore, homogeneous sources of ⁸⁸Kr-⁸⁸Rb and ¹³⁸Xe-¹³⁸Cs can be prepared. The results of the experiment demonstrate that the method is feasible and successful.     

Production of <Superscript>41</Superscript>Ar and <Superscript>79</Superscript>Kr gaseous radiotracers for industrial applications

Radiotracers are extensively used in many industries for trouble shooting and optimization of process parameters leading to considerable savings in time and huge economic benefits. In chemical and petrochemical industries different gases and vapours flowing in the conversion reactors play a major role in the final production. Gaseous radiotracers are ideal to study hydrodynamics of gas phases in process vessels. ⁴¹Ar and ⁷⁹Kr are the preferred gaseous radiotracers for such studies. Owing to the increase in demand from Indian industries for gas phase radiotracers, efforts have been made to produce ⁴¹Ar and ⁷⁹Kr indigenously by irradiation of ⁴⁰Ar and enriched ⁷⁸Kr gaseous targets in research reactors. Prequalification of the containers used, safety aspects concerning accidental rupture and mandatory tests necessary for irradiation of gaseous targets in the reactors have been studied. The paper describes some of the important safety aspects involved and the results of trial irradiations on the production of ⁴¹Ar and ⁷⁹Kr radiotracers. Standardization of suitable assay protocols for their regular production and supply for applications in industries is also described.     

European measurement comparison of <Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs, <Superscript>40</Superscript>K and <Superscript>90</Superscript>Sr in milk powder

Recently, the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) has assumed responsibility for organizing regular measurement comparisons among those laboratories which provide radioactivity monitoring data from their country to authorities of the European Commission (EC) under various EC legislation articles. The most recent exercise under this International Comparison Scheme for Radioactivity Environmental Monitoring (ICS-REM) in measuring the ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K and the ⁹⁰Sr activity concentration in milk powder is presented here. The complete cycle of the comparison is described, including the establishment of reference values traceable to SI units, the demonstration of the homogeneity of the distributed samples, the treatment and measurement of samples in the participating laboratories, and the evaluation of the results.     

Novel methodology for the study of mercury methylation and reduction in sediments and water using <Superscript>197</Superscript>Hg radiotracer

Mercury tracers are powerful tools that can be used to study mercury transformations in environmental systems, particularly mercury methylation, demethylation and reduction in sediments and water. However, mercury transformation studies using tracers can be subject to error, especially when used to assess methylation potential. The organic mercury extracted can be as low as 0.01% of the endogenous labeled mercury, and artefacts and contamination present during methylmercury (MeHg) extraction processes can cause interference. Solvent extraction methods based on the use of either KBr/H₂SO₄ or HCl were evaluated in freshwater sediments using ¹⁹⁷Hg radiotracer. Values obtained for the ¹⁹⁷Hg tracer in the organic phase were up to 25-fold higher when HCl was used, which is due to the coextraction of ¹⁹⁷Hg²⁺ into the organic phase during MeHg extraction. Evaluations of the production of MeHg gave similar results with both MeHg extraction procedures, but due to the higher Hg²⁺ contamination of the controls, the uncertainty in the determination was higher when HCl was used. The Hg²⁺ contamination of controls in the HCl extraction method showed a nonlinear correlation with the humic acid content of sediment pore water. Therefore, use of the KBr/H₂SO₄ method is recommended, since it is free from these interferences. ¹⁹⁷Hg radiotracer (T _1/2 = 2.673 d) has a production rate that is about 50 times higher than that of ²⁰³Hg (T _1/2 = 46.595 d), the most frequently used mercury radiotracer. Hence it is possible to obtain a similar level of performance to ²⁰³Hg when it is used it in short-term experiments and produced by the irradiation of ¹⁹⁶Hg with thermal neutrons, using mercury targets with the natural isotopic composition. However, if the 0.15% natural abundance of the ¹⁹⁶Hg isotope is increased, the specific activity of the ¹⁹⁷Hg tracer can be significantly improved. In the present work, ¹⁹⁷Hg tracer was produced from mercury 51.58% enriched in the ¹⁹⁶Hg isotope, and a 340-fold increase in specific activity with respect to natural mercury targets was obtained. When this high specific activity tracer is employed, mercury methylation and reduction experiments with minimum mercury additions are feasible. Tracer recovery in methylation experiments (associated with Me¹⁹⁷Hg production from ¹⁹⁷Hg²⁺ spike, but also with Hg²⁺ contamination and Me¹⁹⁷Hg artefacts) with marine sediments was about 0.005% g⁻¹ WS (WS: wet sediment) after 20 h incubation with mercury additions of 0.05 ng g⁻¹ WS, which is far below natural mercury levels. In this case, the amount of Hg²⁺ reduced to Hg⁰ (expressed as the percent ¹⁹⁷Hg⁰ recovered with respect to the ¹⁹⁷Hg²⁺ added) varied from 0.13 to 1.6% g⁻¹ WS. Me¹⁹⁷Hg production from ¹⁹⁷Hg²⁺ spike after 20 h of incubation of freshwater sediment ranged from 0.02 to 0.13% g⁻¹ WS with mercury additions of 2.5 ng g⁻¹ WS, which is also far below natural levels. ¹⁹⁷Hg⁰ recoveries were low, 0.0058 ± 0.0013% g⁻¹ WS, but showed good reproducibility in five replicates. Me¹⁹⁷Hg production from ¹⁹⁷Hg²⁺ spiked in freshwater samples ranged from 0.1 to 0.3% over a period of three days with mercury additions of 10 ng L⁻¹. A detection limit of 0.05% for Me¹⁹⁷Hg production from ¹⁹⁷Hg²⁺ spike was obtained in seawater in a 25 h incubation experiment with mercury additions of 12 ng L⁻¹.     

Assessment of agronomic efficacy of phosphatic fertilizers for cotton crop in vertisol using <Superscript>32</Superscript>P radiotracer technique

A short-term greenhouse pot culture study was carried out to study the agronomy efficacy of P sources for cotton crop in a vertisol. The sources of P were single super phosphate (SSP), diammonium phosphate (DAP) and nitrophosphate tagged with ³²P and applied at three rates (30, 60 and 90 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹). The results indicated that the dry matter yield (DMY) of cotton shoot, P uptake, percent P derived from fertilizer (%Pdff) and Avalue of the soil increased significantly with increasing fertilizer rate, whereas the percent fertilizer P utilization (%FUP) was found to be higher at lower fertilizer rates. Among the fertilizer sources SSP was found to be superior in enhancing DMY of cotton, P uptake and %FUP as compared to other fertilizers. %Pdff was found to be at par in SSP and DAP treatments and was significantly higher in comparison to NP and reverse was true in case of A-value of the soil. Results on equivalent ratio showed that SSP and DAP are equally efficient, whereas, 1 kg P as SSP was equivalent to 7.47 kg P as NP. In general, efficacy of phosphatic fertilizers for cotton crop in vertisol was found to be in order of SSP>DAP>NP.     

Field measurement of the <Superscript>218</Superscript>Po, <Superscript>214</Superscript>Pb and <Superscript>214</Superscript>Bi concentrations in typical indoor and outdoor environments in Beijing

The activity concentrations of ²¹⁸Po, ²¹⁴Pb and ²¹⁴Bi [i.e. C(²¹⁸Po), C(²¹⁴Pb), and C(²¹⁴Bi)] and the calculated concentration ratios [i.e. 1:C(²¹⁴Pb)/C(²¹⁸Po):C(²¹⁴Bi)/C(²¹⁸Po)] are necessary for assessing radon and its progenies exposure. In this study, a measurement method of radon progenies concentrations with both high sensitivity and low uncertainty, was developed based on the Kerr method. The field measurement results of radon progeny concentrations and calculated concentration ratios in both typical indoor and outdoor environments in Beijing, China, were reported. The effects of air exchange rate on concentration ratios of radon progenies in indoor environments were discussed.     

Study of the cyclotron production of <Superscript>172</Superscript>Lu: an excellent radiotracer

¹⁷²Lu due to its suitable (T _1/2 = 6.7 days) and high detection sensitivity, is used as a radiotracer in different fields. ¹⁷²Lu appears to be suitable as a long-lived rare-earth tracer for compound labelling and biodistribution studies. In the present study, excitation functions via ¹⁷²Yb(p,n)¹⁷²Lu, ^natYb(p,xn)¹⁷²Lu, ¹⁷²Yb(d,2n)¹⁷²Lu and ^natYb(d,xn)¹⁷²Lu reactions were calculated by ALICE/91, ALICE/ASH and TALYS-1.2 codes. Deposition of ^natYb₂O₃ on Cu substrate was carried out via sedimentation method for the production of ¹⁷²Lu. Cementation separation process and liquid–liquid extraction (LLX) of no-carrier-added (nca) radiolutetium from irradiated ytterbium(III)oxide target hydrochloric solution was described using Na(Hg) amalgam, α-hydroxyisobutyric acid (α-HIB) and di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP).     

Unroofing around Qaidam Basin of northern Tibet at 30 Ma: Constraints from<Superscript>40</Superscript>Ar/<Superscript>39</Superscript> Ar and FT thermochronology on granitoids

An⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and fission track thermochronological study has been carried out on three suites of granitoids collected along the northern and southern edges of the Qaidam Basin to better constrain the mechanisms accommodating the India-Asia collision around the Qaidam Basin (northern Tibet), in order to understand the evolution of the entire deformation area. Mica and K-feldspar have been analyzed and the cooling histories of the latter have been modeled. The cooling histories based upon K-feldspar modeling and fission track ages show that samples simul-taneously recorded an important cooling event (7.5—10.7 °C/Ma) around 30 Ma, which is thought to reflect an increase of denudation rate related to the tectonic activity in this area associated with uplift suggesting significant crustal thickening starting around 30 Ma in this area. The estimated sedimentation rate in the Qaidam Basin, the propagation rate along the Altyn Tagh fault and field observations support this deduction.     

Separation of <Superscript>125</Superscript>IBZM and <Superscript>125</Superscript>ILIS using polyacrylamide-acrylic acid resin

Radioiodination of both S(−)BZM and LIS was carried out using n-bromosuccimide(NBS) as a mild oxidizing agent. The factors affecting on the radiochemical yield such as pH, reaction time, substrate concentration and oxidizing agent have been studied. The chromatographic separation of both ¹²⁵IBZM and ¹²⁵ILIS was carried out using HPLC and poly(acrylamide-acrylic acid) resin P(AAm-AA). The copolymer was prepared by a template polymerization of AA in aqueous solution on PAAm as a template polymer and in the presence of N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (NMBA) as a crosslinker using gamma rays as initiator. The purifications of tracers were carried out using prepared resin compared with TLC and HPLC. The effects of pH buffer, variable elution volumes, flow rate and temperature on the separation process of the resin efficiency have been studied.     

Preparation of <Superscript>26</Superscript>Al, <Superscript>59</Superscript>Ni, <Superscript>44</Superscript>Ti, <Superscript>53</Superscript>Mn and <Superscript>60</Superscript>Fe from a proton irradiated copper beam dump

The station for pions cancer therapy was operated at PSI from 1980 to 1992. After a cooling time of 12 years it’s made of copper beam dump was cut and samples were taken for analytical purposes. The sampling collected about 500 g of high active copper chips that can be used for separation of exotic radionuclides. The analyses by gamma spectrometry, LSC and AMS showed main nuclides present to be ⁶⁰Co, ⁵⁴Mn, ²²Na, ⁶⁵Zn, ²⁶Al, ⁵³Mn, ⁵⁹Ni, ⁶³Ni, ⁵⁵Fe and ⁶⁰Fe and ⁴⁴Ti with a daughter nuclide ⁴⁴Sc. In the frame of ERAWAST project a procedure combining selective precipitation and ion exchange for the separation of the rare radionuclides from the copper beam dump was developed. The proposed separation procedure is easy for remote controlled implementation in a hot cell. The ion exchange separation of Ni, Al, Mg, Ti and Fe was complete and high decontamination factors for copper and cobalt were achieved. Based on the developed procedure a remotely controlled system for separation of exotic radionuclides from the copper chips was set up. The full scale system was installed in a hot cell where high activity levels can be handled. In order to evaluate the reliability and functionality of the system extensive tests have been done. During the test period 13.86 g in total of the proton irradiated copper beam dump were processed for separation of ²⁶Al, ⁵⁹Ni, ⁵³Mn, ⁴⁴Ti and ⁶⁰Fe. The results showed that the system was operational and the radionuclide separation was selective with high chemical yield. The procedure manages as well the generated liquid wastes containing high level of ⁶⁰Co activity.     

Determination of <Superscript>151</Superscript>Sm and <Superscript>147</Superscript>Pm using liquid scintillation tracer methods

The long-lived rare earth isotopes ¹⁵¹Sm (90 years, β _max = 76.3 keV) and ¹⁴⁷Pm (2.62 years, β _max = 224.6 keV) are low-yield fission products that generally require lengthy separation procedures to isolate and count by their beta emissions. We will describe novel liquid scintillation counting techniques using radioactive tracers to determine radiochemical yields from an environmental matrix. The recovery of ¹⁵¹Sm is determined from the alpha decay (2.25 MeV) of ¹⁴⁷Sm in the natural Sm carrier and is in excellent agreement with the gravimetric recovery. The ¹⁴⁷Pm recovery is determined by the use of ¹⁴⁵Pm (17.7 years, EC) tracer, custom-produced at LANL using an isotopically enriched target of ¹⁴⁴Sm. We have determined the ¹⁴⁵Pm recovery both from the 37.4 keV k_α1 X-ray, and the electron-capture emissions by LSC. A comparison of these recovery methods is presented.     

Disequilibrium of dissolved <Superscript>234</Superscript>U/<Superscript>238</Superscript>U and <Superscript>210</Superscript>Po/<Superscript>210</Superscript>Pb in Greek rivers

For the first time, a radiological study for the dissolved ²³⁸U, ²³⁴U, ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po was held in major Greek rivers across the country. ²³⁴U/²³⁸U activity ratios are above one in all samples and ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb activity ratios are respectively below the unit indicating the disequilibrium in the samples. Quite satisfactory correlations were observed among ²³⁴U and ²³⁸U as well as among ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb values. Uranium isotopes were separated by ion exchange and electroplated on stainless steel plates. ²¹⁰Po was spontaneously deposited on nickel plates, while ²¹⁰Pb was indirectly determined through the ingrowth of ²¹⁰Po. The sources were measured by a-spectrometry.     

Determination of <Superscript>3</Superscript>H, <Superscript>226</Superscript>Ra, <Superscript>222</Superscript>Rn and <Superscript>238</Superscript>U in Austrian ground- and drinking water

Screening measurements for ³H, ²²⁶Ra, ²²²Rn and ²³⁸U in ground water were performed within a ground- and drinking water project in Austria. The aim of this project is to get an overview of the distribution of natural radionuclide activity concentration levels in ground water bodies. In some cases this water is used for drinking water abstraction. In this paper methods and results of the screening measurements are presented. Regions with high activity concentrations were identified and in these regions further investigation for ²²⁸Ra, ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po will be conducted.