ABSTRACT
To reduce uncertainties in determining the source term and evolving condition of spent nuclear fuel is fundamental to the safety assessment. ß-emitting nuclides pose a challenging task for reliable, quantitative determination because both radiometric and mass spectrometric methodologies require prior chemical purification for the removal of interfering activity and isobars, respectively. A method for the determination of 90Sr at trace levels in nuclear spent fuel leachate samples without sophisticated and time-consuming procedures has been established. The analytical approach uses a commercially available automated pre-concentration device (SeaFAST) coupled to an ICP-DRC-MS. The method shows good performances with regard to reproducibility, precision, and LOD reducing the total time of analysis for each sample to 12.5 min. The comparison between the developed method and the classical radiochemical method shows a good agreement when taking into account the associated uncertainties.
Subject(s)
Mass Spectrometry/methods , Radioactive Waste/analysis , Spectrophotometry, Atomic/methods , Strontium Radioisotopes/analysis , Beta Particles , Linear Models , Mass Spectrometry/instrumentation , Reproducibility of Results , Spectrophotometry, Atomic/instrumentation , Strontium Radioisotopes/chemistry , Strontium Radioisotopes/isolation & purification , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis , Water Pollutants, Chemical/chemistryABSTRACT
A quick, automated and portable system for the separation and determination of radiostrontium in aqueous samples, using Sr-resin and multi sequential flow injection analysis, has been developed. The concentrations of radioactive strontium were determined by flow scintillation counting, allowing for on-line and also on-site determination. The proposed system can determine radioactive strontium at industrial relevant levels without further modification using overall analysis time of less than 10 min per aqueous sample. The limit of the detection is 320 fg·g-1 (1.7 Bq/g).
Subject(s)
Strontium Radioisotopes/chemistry , LaboratoriesABSTRACT
A LabVIEW®-based software for the control of the fully automated multi-sequential flow injection analysis Lab-on-Valve (MSFIA-LOV) platform AutoRAD performing radiochemical analysis is described. The analytical platform interfaces an Arduino®-based device triggering multiple detectors providing a flexible and fit for purpose choice of detection systems. The different analytical devices are interfaced to the PC running LabVIEW®VI software using USB and RS232 interfaces, both for sending commands and receiving confirmation or error responses. The AUTORAD platform has been successfully applied for the chemical separation and determination of Sr, an important fission product pertinent to nuclear waste.
Subject(s)
Beta-Globulins/analysis , Heavy Chain Disease/diagnosis , Immunoglobulin gamma-Chains/blood , Aged, 80 and over , Blood Protein Electrophoresis , Bone Neoplasms/complications , Bone Neoplasms/diagnosis , Bone Neoplasms/secondary , Diagnosis, Differential , False Positive Reactions , Femoral Neck Fractures/etiology , Heavy Chain Disease/blood , Heavy Chain Disease/urine , Humans , Immunoelectrophoresis , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Immunoglobulin G/urine , Immunoglobulin Light Chains/blood , Immunoglobulin Light Chains/urine , Male , Prostatic Neoplasms/diagnosis , Prostatic Neoplasms/pathologyABSTRACT
Lead and strontium isotope ratios were used for the origin assessment of uranium ore concentrates (yellow cakes) for nuclear forensic purposes. A simple and low-background sample preparation method was developed for the simultaneous separation of the analytes followed by the measurement of the isotope ratios by multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS). The lead isotopic composition of the ore concentrates suggests applicability for the verification of the source of the nuclear material and by the use of the radiogenic (207)Pb/(206)Pb ratio the age of the raw ore material can be calculated. However, during data interpretation, the relatively high variation of the lead isotopic composition within the mine site and the generally high contribution of natural lead as technological contamination have to be carefully taken into account. The (87)Sr/(86)Sr isotope ratio is less prone to the variation within one mine site and less affected by the production process, thus it was found to be a more purposeful indicator for the origin assessment and source verification than the lead. The lead and strontium isotope ratios measured and the methodology developed provide information on the initial raw uranium ore used, and thus they can be used for source attribution of the uranium ore concentrates.