Developing instruments for measurement of plutonium activity in the environmental samples in the case of radiation accident.
According to the Russian norms, the permissible specific activity of 239Pu in the air and water are the lowest. Still the problem of low (compared to permissible) Pu activity measurement for environmental samples arises, for instance, in the case of radiation accident during transportation or storage of excess weapons-grade plutonium transferred to the civil sphere of utilisation. The base method of Pu activity measurement is alpha spectrometry by using silicon detector. A new model of alpha spectrometer, based on silicon surface-barrier detector with background level less than 1-3 pulses per day has been developed. A simple unfolding method for the determination of Pu activity of samples with various thickness based on alpha spectrum measurement has been also developed. L-X photon detection is also used for reducing the measurement threshold of Pu activity determination. A method based on detecting L-X photons of Pu, excited by X rays and beta particles, is applied for further reducing the threshold.
Bolyatko
V
V
Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, 31 Kashirskoe Shosse, Moscow 115409, Russia. bolyatko@mephi.ru
Goleminov
N
N
Zvantsev
A
A
Kramer-Ageev
E
E
Mogilenets
N
N
Troshin
V
V
D000512:Alpha Particles; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D011005:Plutonium / Q000032:analysis*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000295:instrumentation*; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012426:Russia; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants; D011005:Plutonium