Aerosol sample inhomogeneity with debris from the Fukushima Daiichi accident.
Radionuclide aerosol sampling is a vital component in the detection of nuclear explosions, nuclear accidents, and other radiation releases. This was proven by the detection and tracking of emissions from the Fukushima Daiichi incident across the globe by IMS stations. Two separate aerosol samplers were operated in Richland, WA following the event and debris from the accident were measured at levels well above detection limits. While the atmospheric activity concentration of radionuclides generally compared well between the two stations, they did not agree within uncertainties. This paper includes a detailed study of the aerosol sample homogeneity of (134)Cs and (137)Cs, then relates it to the overall uncertainty of the original measurement. Our results show that sample inhomogeneity adds an additional 5-10% uncertainty to each aerosol measurement and that this uncertainty is in the same range as the discrepancies between the two aerosol sample measurements from Richland, WA.
University of Texas Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory, 10100 Burnet Road, Bldg. 159, Austin, TX, USA. Electronic address: gomez_rey09@yahoo.com.
Reynaldo
R
Gomez
University of Texas Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory, 10100 Burnet Road, Bldg. 159, Austin, TX, USA. Electronic address: Biegalski@mail.utexas.edu.
Steven
S
Biegalski
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd, Richland, WA, USA. Electronic address: Vincent.woods@pnnl.gov.
Vincent
V
Woods
D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis*; D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D011834:Radiation Monitoring
D000336:Aerosols; D000396:Air Pollutants, Radioactive
Aerosol sampling; Cs-134; Cs-137; Fukushima; Radionuclides; Sample inhomogeneity