Conveners
Nuclear Analytical Methods: NAM 1
- Jan Kučera (Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences)
- Xiaolin Hou (Technical University of Denmark, Center for Nuclear Technologies)
Nuclear Analytical Methods: NAM 2
- Zsolt Révay (Technische Universität München - FRM II)
- Clemens Walther (Universität Hannover, IRS)
Nuclear Analytical Methods: NAM Poster
- There are no conveners in this block
Nuclear Analytical Methods: NAM 3
- Elisabete De Nadai Fernandes (Nuclear Energy Center for Agriculture, University of São Paulo)
- Amares Chatt (Dalhousie University)
Nuclear Analytical Methods: NAM 4
- Jan Kameník (Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences)
- Christian Stieghorst (Technische Universität München - FRM II)
Nuclear Analytical Methods: NAM 5
- Jiří Janda (-)
- Céline AUGERAY (IRSN)
With increased number of nuclear facilities to be decommissioned, radiological characterization of various radioactive waste generated during decommissioning and operation of nuclear facilities is needed for estimation of the total inventory of radioactivity and its variation with time. Among them, determination of hard-to-measure radionuclides is the main challenge. 93Mo is a long-lived (4000...
The radiological characterization process conducted during the lifecycle of a nuclear facility is paramount in all operative phases of decommissioning, waste management, and site environmental monitoring to enhance safety of workers and public and mitigate the environmental footprint of nuclear technology. Most of radiocesium contamination can be easily detected like 134Cs and 137Cs, and...
Turnaround time and performances of standard analytical protocols may not be compatible with the objectives (contributing to knowledge of the radiological state, detecting an abnormal rise in radioactivity as early as possible…) and the levels of radioactivity present in the environment. Research and expertise programs, implemented to explain or predict radioactivity transfers between the...
36Cl is one of the important radionuclides to be controlled in view of radioactive waste disposal from nuclear infrastructures. Determination of 36Cl is challenging due to its volatility, low activity concentration in decommissioning samples and the lack of solid reference materials for method validation.
In this paper, a new approach to determine 36Cl in solid samples by using plastic...
When on April 26, 1986 the reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, nuclear fuel was in part released as microscopic solid particles. Structurally intact hot particles pose a risk to humans mainly by the (unlikely) path of inhalation. However, over the decades, weathering may lead to considerable release of radionuclides that subsequently can enter the human food chain. Since hot...
Iodine is an extremely volatile element naturally present under various organic or inorganic forms. These physico-chemical characteristics complicate its extraction and quantification. Among the 37 iodine isotopes, 127I is the only stable one and 129I is the radioisotope with the longest half-life (16.1 x 106 y). 129I is chronically and regulatory released by fuel reprocessing plants e.g....
Uranium materials are strictly controlled by the international nuclear safeguards system. However, if such materials get out of regulatory control and subsequently seized, a comprehensive measurement is eventually required to assess the posed hazard, intended use and possible origin. Such nuclear forensic analysis focuses on the analysis of these intercepted nuclear or other radioactive...
Globally, it is estimated that more than two billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Nutrient-rich foods are at the center of creating healthy and sustainable diets, but supplementation approaches based only on the amount of nutrients fail to consider the bioavailability and thus the uptake potential of these nutrients. Therefore, food matrix-based approaches are essential to...
The paper describes the influence of various organic solvents on the performance of a newly designed scintillation cocktail. The work mainly focuses on the sample load capacity of the scintillation cocktail in connection with the solvent component to be able to accept the largest possible volume of different types of samples, especially aqueous ones. Previous research has dealt with the ideal...
Lots of reports about inhalation risk and external exposure caused by negative ion technology products which include toiletry, wristbands, clothing, and bed mattresses. Negative ion technology can involve the use of minerals that contain a naturally occurring source of radiation such as thorium or uranium. Hassan et al. investigated thirteen NORM-added negative-ion products in terms of organ...
Ra-223 dichloride injection is a new type of alpha-emitting therapeutic radiopharmaceutical. To accurately measure the radioactivity of Ra-223 is very important for drug dose control and assessment of various potential contamination events. Gamma spectrometry, with the advantage of simple sample pretreatment and high accuracy, is the first choice for Ra-223 activity measurement. The most...
ABSTRACT
The paper describes an alternative approach for the determination of uranium, radium-226 and potassium levels in Brazil nuts. Potassium analysis was performed by a NaI detector using 1-gram of nut’s ashes, radium analysis was carried out by radon emanation measurements after EDTA-mediated ash dissolution, and uranium levels were determined by alpha spectroscopy after acidic...
Molybdenum-93 (T½ = (4.0±0.8)·103 years) is significant long-lived radionuclide contained in the treatment of nuclear waste. 93Mo is formed when a molybdenum rich material is exposed to thermal radiation, especially by neutron capture by 92Mo. Molybdenum occurs as an impurity e.g., in steels in the core area, in the coolant, etc.
Several studies were published with procedures of separation of...
Krško Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) is located in south – eastern part of Slovenia, on the left bank of the Sava River. Emissions of the operational Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) are mainly 14C and 3H. The dam for the Brežice Hydroelectric Power Plant (BHPP) constructed few kilometres downstream has caused changes in the local climate parameters and hydrology around KNPP. The simultaneous...
In this study, we present a novel approach for C-14 analses of iron material.
C-14 contamination of iron materail could happen in nuclear reactors, where the neutron flux could produce significant amount of C-14 atoms inside the iron based construction elements (vessel wall, tubes, etc). If those elements are going to be disposed in waste, than the C-14 concentration should be measured,...
The Federal Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology funded a monitoring project of the current status of the activity concentration in Austrian groundwater. Measurements of uranium-isotopes (U-238, U-235 and U-234) were part of this project.
The uranium isotopes concentration was determined using two different analytical methods - inductively...
The nuclear forensic analysis deals with tracing the origin of nuclear materials found outside the regulatory control. Each material contains a different amount and type of radionuclides that are characteristic of each type of material. This unique composition and characteristic parameters are used to identify unknown samples. They are referred to as “fingerprints” due to their uniqueness....
Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is one of the analytical techniques used by the International Atomic Energy Agency for the analysis of environmental swipes (ES) for uncovering undeclared nuclear materials and activities. A combination of imaging and mass separation capabilities of SIMS are used for finding particles of interest (containing U/Pu) amidst large amount of non-specific dust...
The first Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) laboratory in the Czech Republic has recently been established within a consortium of Nuclear Physics Institute (NPI) of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU in Prague – FNSPE) and the Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences,...
The analysis of illicit drugs composition is required for effective actions of Law Enforcement Agencies. Determination of major as well as trace elements provides additional parameters that could help in identification of drugs origin. Heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine samples were assayed by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for determination of mass fractions of several...
The assay of in-situ terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides (TCN) $^{10}$Be and $^{26}$Al is central to a geo-archaeological project aimed at determining the age of cultural Layer VII. representing a possible Early to Middle Pleistocene (Lower Palaeolithic) hominin occupation at Korolevo, Transcarpathia, western Ukraine. The cobbles (quartz, quartzite and sandstone) from the Layer VII. fluvial...
Domestication of dogs and cats took place thousands of years ago, altering the behavior and physiology of animals. Since then, the number of pets has increased year after year, reaching nowadays 471 million dogs and 373 million cats in the world. On average, half of a pet's cost of living is related to food, mainly dry kibble. The existence of exclusive pet foods is relatively recent. The...
Sugarcane has been a versatile crop in Brazil and an integral part of its economy by providing key components such as sugar, ethanol and energy. It is the number one source of renewable energy, accounting for 17% of total energy consumption. Sugar is the country´s fourth largest export commodity. Brazil is the world’s largest sugar producer with 34.65 million tons in 2021, maintaining its...
Tritium and radioactive carbon generated by the operation of nuclear facilities are radionuclides with half-life of 12.3 and 5730 years, respectively, so if leaked, it will have a significant long-term impact on the environment and humans, so continuous monitoring is required.
In the case of radioactive carbon dioxide, it is fixed in living organisms through respiration of animal and plant or...
Fragments of archaeological pottery are one of the most common artefacts excavated in archaeological sites. However, radiocarbon dating of these artefacts nor their total lipid extracts have not brought reliable radiocarbon results due to wide spectrum of carbonaceous compounds from various reservoirs which contributed to the overall lipid composition. The only possibility is to use a...
The cold neutron beam at MLZ offers unique conditions for nuclear analytical chemistry. The analytical facility accommodates several instruments being under development or recently upgraded. This paper summarizes the progress, and the possibilities these instruments offer.
The focusing guide is being replaced with a truly-curved elliptical guide ensuring a more homogeneous beam with a smaller...
Recently, the NAA instrument has been fully integrated into the MLZ user system. The FRM II reactor features various short and long high-flux irradiation positions in a well-thermalized neutron field in the range of 10$^{13}$–10$^{14}$ cm$^{–2}$s$^{–1}$ with a thermal-to-epithermal ratio up to 12,000. The counting of the irradiated samples take place in a near laboratory of the Radiochemie...
The growth in demand for quality beef has stimulated the production of animals with superior genetics. Genetic breedings gave rise to cuts of meat with high added value. Cattle breed certification programs have been created in Brazil to assist in the transparency of the production chain and attest to specific quality attributes of certain breeds. However, this mechanism is not enough to...
Vehicle crimes are often associated with the production of glass fragments. Shards found on the crime scene and microfragments attached on suspect clothing are traces available for Law Enforcement Agencies. The refractive index is often used as a parameter for glass profiling. As an additional characterization, chemical composition of glass fragments was studied by instrumental neutron...
Copper at low levels is generally considered an essential element. It can be determined by neutron activation analysis (NAA) via 63Cu(n,γ)64Cu and 65Cu(n,γ)66Cu reactions. The positron-emitting nuclide 64Cu (half-life=12.7 h) is not commonly used because of interferences. The short-lived 66Cu (half-life=5.09 min) can possibly be used in instrumental NAA (INAA). However, it is seldom done in...
In the framework of Collaborative Materials Exercises (CMX) organized by the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) we received 4 radioactive samples S1 – S4 of unknown origin in two different physical forms (2 powders, 2 metal pieces), which contained unknown content of uranium with unknown enrichment and were asked to answer the following questions:
1) Do samples...
Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a very sensitive analytical method for determination of ultra-trace concentrations of long-lived radionuclides in environmental samples. Plutonium isotopes Pu-239, 240 are anthropogenic alpha emitters with a half-life of 24 and 64 thousand years, a commonly monitored in the environment due to plutonium radiotoxicity. In practice, AMS measurement of...
Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is arguably the most sensitive method for determination of isotopic ratios for a variety of trace nuclides in many different fields of interest, including uranium-236 and since recently also uranium-233. Both these radionuclides, being almost solely anthropogenic, occur in the environment at extremely low concentrations, usually reaching well below 10^(-10)...
Increased reactivity of radiation-damaged quartz in the alkaline pore water of concrete and its role in radionuclide transport is a subject that is becoming increasingly important as nuclear power plants (NPPs) around the world reach end-of-life. Quartz contributes more than half the weight of most concretes and up to 40 % of the total radioactive waste volume associated with the dismantling...
The article proposed a new electrodeposition solution based on a citric-oxalic-sulfate matrix intended for high-resolution electroplating of actinides. The suggested method originated from the well-established oxalate-ammonium sulfate solution, but instead of DTPA and hydroxyl ammonium sulfate, citric acid was used. Since the volume of electrolyte, distance, and current density were discovered...
Presence of uranium in both natural and anthropogenic waters creates demand for the new ways of systematic monitoring of its concentration. New analytical electrode based on powdered graphene and modified with specifically designed zeolite sorbent and similar to well-known and widely used graphite paste electrode, [1], has been tested for the ability to analyze the uranium content in aqueous...
One of the biggest challenges regarding the exploitation of nuclear energy concerns the proper management of its high-level radioactive waste. Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS) offer a new pathway to address this issue by transmuting the produced nuclear waste. Lead-Bismuth-Eutectic (LBE) represents an attractive choice of coolant for an ADS, since it can serve simultaneously as a spallation...
Just in Western Europe, more than 160 nuclear facilities should be closed by 2025. This process requires the management of all the elements with a potential content of radioactivity, in order to determine if there are long live radionuclides present and need to be stored in a deep geological repository, if short live radionuclides are present and need to be temporary stored for its decay or if...
The effect of unmodified and functionalized Spirulina platensis biomass silver nanoparticles on rats during prolonged oral administration was assessed. Silver nanoparticles were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy, while their uptake by the biomass was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive analysis. The content of silver in the different organs...
