title: Disequilibrium in the uranium and actinium series in oil scale samples.
abstract: We have investigated the disequilibrium of the uranium and actinium series and have found both226Ra (90,200 ± 4300 Bq/kg) and228Ra have activity concentrations orders of magnitude higher that238U (1.83 ± 0.36 Bq/kg) and232Th (7.0 ± 0.4) which are at the head of the decay series. As well the activity concentration of210Pb (24,400 ± 1200 Bg/kg) was about 3.6 times less than226Ra. Once an efficiency curve was constructed summing corrections for specific isotopes in the decay change also needed to be taken in consideration. Furthermore, self-attenuation of the photons especially the 46.5 keV belonging to210Pb was calculated to be 78% since the scale had elevated elemental concentrations of high-Z elements such as barium and strontium.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Austin, Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory, Pickle Research Campus, R-9000, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Enviroklean Product Development Inc. (EPDI), 9227 Thomasville Road, Houston, TX 77064, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Landsberger
authors.affiliation: Florida Memorial University, Division of Natural Sciences, Miami Gardens, FL 33054, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tamalis
authors.affiliation: Florida Memorial University, Division of Natural Sciences, Miami Gardens, FL 33054, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leblanc
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Austin, Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory, Pickle Research Campus, R-9000, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Yoho
mesh_terms: D000186:Actinium / Q000032:analysis*; D061329:Oil and Gas Fields; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D014501:Uranium / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D014501:Uranium; D000186:Actinium
keywords: Disequilibrium; NORM; Oil exploration