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A method for measuring radioxenon emanation with cryotrap** and γ spectroscopy

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Abstract

A method has been developed to eliminate environmental variables and macroscopic diffusive transport to obtain a direct measurement of radioxenon’s emanation coefficient, K, from a solid matrix. The emanation measurement apparatus (EMA) utilizes neutron activation and a cryotrap** technique with LN2, which increased gas trap** efficiency from 4 ± 3 to 78 ± 7%. Emanation values are measured by γ spectroscopy with a High Purity Germanium detector. Preliminary results from EMA demonstrated the capability of this new process to make reproducable emanation measurements with quantifiable uncertainty. Initial experiments produced U3O8 radioxenon emanation coefficients of 0.016 ± 0.002 for 133Xe and 0.025 ± 0.002 for 135Xe at temperatures ranging from 20 to 80 °C.

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Notes

  1. EMA is capable of operating with pressures up to 1000 torr. However, this method was designed to measure trace quantities of radioxenon. In an evacuated system, the emanated gas release in EMA was not more than 15 torr for the irradiated 0.5 g of uranium oxide.

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Acknowledgements

Funding was provided by Defense Threat Reduction Agency (Grant No. HDTRA1-12-1-0009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, 10100 Burnet Rd, Bldg. 159, Austin, TX, 78758, USA

    M. e Blood, D. A. Haas & E. J. Artnak

  2. Georgia Institute of Technology, 770 State St, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    S. R. Biegalski

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  1. M. e Blood
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  2. S. R. Biegalski
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  3. D. A. Haas
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  4. E. J. Artnak
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Correspondence to M. e Blood.

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Blood, M.e., Biegalski, S.R., Haas, D.A. et al. A method for measuring radioxenon emanation with cryotrap** and γ spectroscopy. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 318, 305–311 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-018-6025-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-018-6025-8

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