The half-life of 129I.

The radionuclide 129I is a long-lived fission product that decays to 129Xe by beta-particle emission. It is an important tracer in geological and biological processes and is considered one of the most important radionuclides to be assessed in studies of global circulation. It is also one of the major contributors to radiation dose from nuclear waste in a deep geological repository. Its half-life has been obtained by a combination of activity and mass concentration measurements in the frame of a cooperation of 6 European metrology institutes. The value obtained for the half-life of 129I is 16.14 (12) × 106 a, in good agreement with recommended data but with a significant improvement in the uncertainty.

Activity standardization, photon emission probabilities and half-life measurements of (177)Lu.

Activity standardization of (177)Lu and measurement of two nuclear parameters were done. Activity standardization of (177)Lu was done utilizing the 4πß-γ coincidence method with a combined standard uncertainty of 0.28%. Emission probability of 112.95keV and 208.37keV was measured by calibrated spectrometer with HPGe detector. The efficiency was computed with MCNP code and validated using experimental points. Half-life was derived from prolonged measurement of peak area by three different spectrometer systems and also from measurement with ionization chamber.

Activity standardization of ¹³4Cs and ¹³7Cs.

The paper presents the results from a primary standardization of (137)Cs using two independent methods - efficiency tracing using PC-NaI coincidence and the TDCR method. The nuclides (60)Co and (134)Cs were used as the tracers. Primary standardization of the (134)Cs is also discussed. The efficiency extrapolation was carried out by measuring samples of varying mass and using the wet extrapolation method. The results obtained are in good agreement; the differences did not exceed 0.5%. The advantages, pitfalls and also possibilities for improvement of the procedures are discussed.

Comparison of properties of digital spectrometer systems.

We have tested two digital spectrometer systems, the DSP 9660 and Lynx(®) modules, connected to a HPGe detector. Lynx(®) is a fully integrated 32K channel signal analyzer based on digital signal processing techniques, which offers advanced digital stabilization. The model DSP 9660 digitalizes the signal directly at a very high sampling rate. The evaluated properties were integral nonlinearity, differential linearity, channel profiles, resolution and throughput. We found that the DSP system has slightly inferior resolution and throughput in comparison with the Lynx(®) system.

Activity standardisation of 45Ca and 204Tl using the new TDCR system at CMI.

A new triple-to-double coincidence ratio (TDCR) system has been established at CMI as an additional technique for primary activity standardisation. Details of the detectors and the electronics are given. Construction of the optical chamber was validated using measurement of a (3)H standard-the efficiency achieved with Ultima Gold was 58%. Several methods of efficiency variation (coloured bands painted on vial, positioning and photomultipliers defocussing) are compared. Activity concentrations of (204)Tl and (45)Ca were determined with the TDCR method and with the efficiency tracer technique. Advantages of the TDCR method compared to the efficiency tracing method and agreement between results are shown.

Standardisation of 54Mn and 65Zn using a software coincidence counting system.

The activities of 54Mn and 65Zn have been determined by 4pi(PC)-gamma coincidence counting, with efficiency variation performed by the conventional method of altering the self-absorption in the sources as well as by the computer discrimination method. The standardisation of 65Zn presents some complications requiring optimisation of the gamma-ray energy window settings to achieve a linear efficiency-extrapolation curve. Determination of these optimal settings by the conventional coincidence method is a tedious task. These difficulties have been reduced by the utilisation of a software coincidence counting system that records time and amplitude information of individual pulses from coincidence measurements, where the coincidence parameters are set after the data collection process has completed, facilitating multiple data evaluations on a single data set. The optimal gamma-ray energy window settings for the 65Zn standardisation were derived from the results of the 54Mn standardisation, as well as from studies of the 65Zn data itself. The setting of the PC channel thresholds for K and both (K+L) electrons is also discussed. The results are compared with those attained using conventional coincidence counting.

Application of pulse mixing method in software coincidence counting.

In recent years the software coincidence counting system, designed for absolute activity measurement, has been developed in the Czech Metrology Institute. In this system a true coincidence count rate is calculated from the records of time and amplitude data of individual pulses and may be determined by two different methods. The first one uses a coincidence resolving time, in a manner similar to a classical coincidence measurement. The second method applies the pulse mixing method formulae, so that it does not use the resolving time and the correction for accidental coincidences. Both methods have been tested on the same data from a 4pibeta (PC)-gamma coincidence measurement of 60Co sources. The difference between the results obtained from both calculation methods applied on the data from the same measurement did not exceed 0.015%. The details of both methods and the results of their comparison are presented.

Software coincidence counting.

A system designed for absolute activity measurement is described using a digital method. The system is based on data recording from a coincidence measurement and subsequent software processing of the data records. The data acquisition device collects amplitudes of individual pulses from analogue-to-digital converters and supplies them with time information. Software processing of data records from this system offers many benefits in comparison to conventional coincidence counting, for example it enables to perform time and pulse height analysis and setting of coincidence parameters by using a wide variety of evaluation methods to one data record. The digital system was tested with a 4pi beta-gamma coincidence detectors arrangement consisting of a proportional counter and two NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors. The results obtained with a 60Co source are presented.