scholarly journals Design by numerical simulation of an in situ alpha spectrometer operating at ambient air pressure

2020 ◽  
Vol 225 ◽  
pp. 06004 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Degrelle ◽  
J. Venara ◽  
M. Ben Mosbah ◽  
M. Cuozzo ◽  
C. Mahé ◽  
...  

Alpha emitters are usually identified and quantified by alpha spectrometry measurements in a vacuum chamber performed in laboratory environments. This study shows that transuranic elements can be distinguished under ambient conditions using a grid collimator. The aim of this work was to use numerical simulations with the MCNP6 code to design a grid with a resolution high enough to differentiate the same radionuclide combinations as alpha spectrometry in a vacuum chamber, namely 239Pu + 240Pu, 241Am + 238Pu and 244Cm. Results show that a compromise is required to obtain the best performances in terms of energy resolution and detection efficiency, leading to the choice of two hexagonal grid collimators. The first has a collimation height of 0.5 cm and an apothem of 1 mm. Laboratory tests on electrodeposited sources show that the target radionuclides can be identified without prior deconvolution, with an energy resolution of about 70 keV and a detection efficiency of 0.74% at incident energies of 5–6 MeV. The second grid has the same collimation height but a coarser mesh with an apothem of 2 mm. In this case, the alpha peaks are still distinguishable, but with a lower resolution of 125 keV. The detection efficiency is three times higher however.

2015 ◽  
Vol 109 (6) ◽  
pp. 601-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Pöllänen ◽  
Jani Turunen ◽  
Tero Karhunen ◽  
Kari Peräjärvi ◽  
Teemu Siiskonen ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 53-54 ◽  
pp. 65-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Pöllänen ◽  
K. Peräjärvi ◽  
T. Siiskonen ◽  
J. Turunen

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 721
Author(s):  
Daowei Dou ◽  
Zhi Zeng ◽  
Wen Yu ◽  
Ming Zeng ◽  
Wu Men ◽  
...  

In a nuclear emergency, the application of in situ spectrometers for monitoring environmental radioactivity is significantly important, as information on the type and activity of radionuclides released from the accident can be obtained quickly. However, in emergency environmental radiological monitoring, a balance between energy resolution and detecting efficiency must be considered in selecting an appropriate detector. In this study, in situ gamma spectrometry was conducted with the LaBr3 detector to determine the radioactivity of seawater at the discharging outlet of a coastal nuclear power plant in southeast China. The results show that the LaBr3 scintillator has excellent energy resolution and detection efficiency, making it a promising detector for emergency monitoring.


2021 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Wittwer ◽  
Robert Eichler ◽  
Dominik Herrmann ◽  
Andreas Türler

Abstract A new setup named Fast On-line Reaction Apparatus (FORA) is presented which allows for the efficient investigation and optimization of metal carbonyl complex (MCC) formation reactions under various reaction conditions. The setup contains a 252Cf-source producing short-lived Mo, Tc, Ru and Rh isotopes at a rate of a few atoms per second by its 3% spontaneous fission decay branch. Those atoms are transformed within FORA in-situ into volatile metal carbonyl complexes (MCCs) by using CO-containing carrier gases. Here, the design, operation and performance of FORA is discussed, revealing it as a suitable setup for performing single-atom chemistry studies. The influence of various gas-additives, such as CO2, CH4, H2, Ar, O2, H2O and ambient air, on the formation and transport of MCCs was investigated. O2, H2O and air were found to harm the formation and transport of MCCs in FORA, with H2O being the most severe. An exception is Tc, for which about 130 ppmv of H2O caused an increased production and transport of volatile compounds. The other gas-additives were not influencing the formation and transport efficiency of MCCs. Using an older setup called Miss Piggy based on a similar working principle as FORA, it was additionally investigated if gas-additives are mostly affecting the formation or only the transport stability of MCCs. It was found that mostly formation is impacted, as MCCs appear to be much less sensitive to reacting with gas-additives in comparison to the bare Mo, Tc, Ru and Rh atoms.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 228
Author(s):  
Rute Cesário ◽  
Nelson J. O’Driscoll ◽  
Sara Justino ◽  
Claire E. Wilson ◽  
Carlos E. Monteiro ◽  
...  

In situ air concentrations of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg(0)) and vegetation–atmosphere fluxes were quantified in both high (Cala Norte, CN) and low-to-moderate (Alcochete, ALC) Hg-contaminated saltmarsh areas of the Tagus estuary colonized by plant species Halimione portulacoides (Hp) and Sarcocornia fruticosa (Sf). Atmospheric Hg(0) ranged between 1.08–18.15 ng m−3 in CN and 1.18–3.53 ng m−3 in ALC. In CN, most of the high Hg(0) levels occurred during nighttime, while the opposite was observed at ALC, suggesting that photoreduction was not driving the air Hg(0) concentrations at the contaminated site. Vegetation–air Hg(0) fluxes were low in ALC and ranged from −0.76 to 1.52 ng m−2 (leaf area) h−1 for Hp and from −0.40 to 1.28 ng m−2 (leaf area) h−1 for Sf. In CN, higher Hg fluxes were observed for both plants, ranging from −9.90 to 15.45 ng m−2 (leaf area) h−1 for Hp and from −8.93 to 12.58 ng m−2 (leaf area) h−1 for Sf. Mercury flux results at CN were considered less reliable due to large and fast variations in the ambient air concentrations of Hg(0), which may have been influenced by emissions from the nearby chlor-alkali plant, or historical contamination. Improved experimental setup, the influence of high local Hg concentrations and the seasonal activity of the plants must be considered when assessing vegetation–air Hg(0) fluxes in Hg-contaminated areas.


Gases ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-32
Author(s):  
Elena Grignani ◽  
Antonella Mansi ◽  
Renato Cabella ◽  
Paola Castellano ◽  
Angelo Tirabasso ◽  
...  

The present paper extrapolates quantitative data for ozone virucidal activity on the basis of the available scientific literature data for a safe and effective use of ozone in the appropriate cases and to explore the safety measures developed under the stimulus of the current emergency situation. Ozone is a powerful oxidant reacting with organic molecules, and therefore has bactericidal, virucidal, and fungicidal actions. At the same time, it is a toxic substance, having adverse effects on health and safety. Its use is being proposed for the disinfection of workplaces’ and public places’ atmosphere, and for disposable masks and personal protective equipment disinfection for reuse, with particular reference to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Ozone can be generated in situ by means of small, compact ozone generators, using dried ambient air as a precursor. It should be injected into the room that is to be disinfected until the desired ozone concentration is reached; after the time needed for the disinfection, its concentrations must be reduced to the levels required for the workers’ safety. The optimal use of ozone is for air and surface disinfection without human presence, using a concentration that is effective for the destruction of viruses, but not high enough to deteriorate materials.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjing Li ◽  
Shun Li ◽  
Lihua Luo ◽  
Yichen Ge ◽  
Jiaqi Xu ◽  
...  

The catalyst-free oxidative cleavage of (Z)-triaryl-substituted alkenes bearing pyridyl motif with ambient air under irradiation of blue LED at room temperature has been developed. The reaction was facile and scalable,...


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
Jakub T. Wilk ◽  
Beata Bąk ◽  
Piotr Artiemjew ◽  
Jerzy Wilde ◽  
Maciej Siuda

Honeybee workers have a specific smell depending on the age of workers and the biological status of the colony. Laboratory tests were carried out at the Department of Apiculture at UWM Olsztyn, using gas sensors installed in two twin prototype multi-sensor detectors. The study aimed to compare the responses of sensors to the odor of old worker bees (3–6 weeks old), young ones (0–1 days old), and those from long-term queenless colonies. From the experimental colonies, 10 samples of 100 workers were taken for each group and placed successively in the research chambers for the duration of the study. Old workers came from outer nest combs, young workers from hatching out brood in an incubator, and laying worker bees from long-term queenless colonies from brood combs (with laying worker bee’s eggs, humped brood, and drones). Each probe was measured for 10 min, and then immediately for another 10 min ambient air was given to regenerate sensors. The results were analyzed using 10 different classifiers. Research has shown that the devices can distinguish between the biological status of bees. The effectiveness of distinguishing between classes, determined by the parameters of accuracy balanced and true positive rate, of 0.763 and 0.742 in the case of the best euclidean.1nn classifier, may be satisfactory in the context of practical beekeeping. Depending on the environment accompanying the tested objects (a type of insert in the test chamber), the introduction of other classifiers as well as baseline correction methods may be considered, while the selection of the appropriate classifier for the task may be of great importance for the effectiveness of the classification.


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