Radiometric techniques for the detection and assessment of tritium in aqueous media - a review

Parker, Andrew James; Aspinall, Michael; Boxall, Colin; Cave, Frank; Joyce, Malcolm J.

doi:10.1016/j.pnucene.2023.104733

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 127 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Usually, LS is composed of several organic solvents but can be mixed only with small quantities of tritiated water. Even with the use of a surfactant, the maximum mixture ratio with water is up to 54% (PerkinElmer Co. Ltd., Ultima Gold LLT) . On the other hand, since no organic solvents are needed, the paper scintillator can absorb larger volumes of tritiated water depending on the paper volume.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paper Scintillator Incorporated with Scintillator–Silica Fine Powders: Photophysical Characterization and Proof of Concept Demonstration of Tritium Detection

Miyoshi,

Nakamura,

Tsekrekas

et al. 2024

ACS Omega

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In order to decrease the generation of radioactive waste, it is of interest to develop a scintillator capable of absorbing tritiated solutions for efficient detection of low-energy β-particles from tritium. In this work, paper scintillator incorporated with scintillator−silica fine powders (FPs), which is composed of scintillator−silica nanoparticles (NPs) attached to silica FP, was fabricated and evaluated. The scintillator−silica NPs contained liquid scintillators benzoic acid, 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO), and 1,4-bis(5-phenyloxazol-2-yl) benzene (POPOP). Photophysical characterization was executed by means of photoluminescence, fluorescence lifetime, quantum efficiency, and radioluminescence under X-ray excitation. POPOP emission was confirmed by absorbing the emissions from benzoic acid and PPO. Radioluminescence results confirmed POPOP emission. Fluorescence lifetime analysis yielded a 1.29 ± 0.01 ns main fast decay (64.2%) combined with a 4.00 ± 0.04 ns slower decay (35.8%). The combined luminescence results suggested that most POPOP in the paper scintillator was solvated. At 301 nm, the average quantum efficiency from both faces of the paper scintillator was about 4%, and at 370 nm, it was about 11%. The paper scintillator detected 3 H β-particles by dipping the paper scintillator into tritiated water without a liquid scintillator. The counting efficiency depended on water content in the paper scintillator, and it increased to above 10% for tritium activity less than 200 dpm since it was preferentially adsorbed by vapor pressure isotopic effect and isotopic exchanged tritium on the surface of the scintillator−silica FP in the paper scintillator.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paper Scintillator Incorporated with Scintillator–Silica Fine Powders: Photophysical Characterization and Proof of Concept Demonstration of Tritium Detection

Miyoshi,

Nakamura,

Tsekrekas

et al. 2024

ACS Omega

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In aquatic environments, isotopes such as tritium and strontium-90 exhibit unique dispersion patterns, driven by their chemical properties and interaction with water bodies. Tritium, characterized by its high solubility, is known to permeate through large aquatic systems, creating uniform concentration levels [ 14 ]. This contrasts with its behavior in smaller, closed systems where it tends to accumulate, surpassing environmental safety thresholds [ 15 ].…”

Section: The Comprehensive Scope Of Nuclear Isotopes: From Applicatio...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unraveling the nuclear isotope tapestry: Applications, challenges, and future horizons in a dynamic landscape

Yang,

Feng,

et al. 2024

Eco-Environment & Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Council Directive 2013/51/Euratom [1] establishes a limit of 100 Bq/L of tritium in water intended for human consumption. For the measurement of tritium concentrations within the limit defined by the legislation, the usual method is the Liquid Scintillation Counting technique [2], which can take up to 3 days from the sample collection till the result. Moreover, a real-time tritium low activity concentration measurement can be used as a nuclear power plant environmental surveillance and anomaly pre-alert system, for example, in the case of primary coolant leak [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Presently and to the best of our knowledge, there is no such instrument with the required capabilities aforementioned. A concise review of tritium detection and assessment in aqueous media can be found in [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a real-time tritium-in-water monitor

Azevedo,

Baeza,

Chauveau

et al. 2023

J. Inst.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper, we report the development and performance of a detector module envisaging a tritium-in-water real-time activity monitor. The monitor is based on modular detection units whose number can be chosen according to the required sensitivity. The full system is being designed to achieve a Minimum Detectable Activity (MDA) of 100 Bq/L of tritium-in-water activity which is the limit established by the E.U. Council Directive 2013/51/Euratom for water intended for human consumption. The same system can be used as a real-time pre-alert system for nuclear power plant regarding tritium-in water environmental surveillance. The first detector module was characterized, commissioned and installed immediately after the discharge channel of the Arrocampo dam (Almaraz nuclear power plant, Spain) on the Tagus river. Due to the high sensitivity of the single detection modules, the system requires radioactive background mitigation techniques through the use of active and passive shielding. We have extrapolated a MDA of 3.6 kBq/L for a single module being this value limited by the cosmic background. The obtained value for a single module is already compatible with a real-time environmental surveillance and pre-alert system. Further optimization of the single-module sensitivity will imply the reduction of the number of modules and the cost of the detector system.

show abstract

Radiometric techniques for the detection and assessment of tritium in aqueous media - a review

Cited by 7 publications

References 127 publications

Paper Scintillator Incorporated with Scintillator–Silica Fine Powders: Photophysical Characterization and Proof of Concept Demonstration of Tritium Detection

Paper Scintillator Incorporated with Scintillator–Silica Fine Powders: Photophysical Characterization and Proof of Concept Demonstration of Tritium Detection

Unraveling the nuclear isotope tapestry: Applications, challenges, and future horizons in a dynamic landscape

Development of a real-time tritium-in-water monitor

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About