56

CONTINUOUS, REAL-TIMEWATER-MONITORING FOR TRITIUM AND OTHER RADIONUCLIDES: 

CONTINUOUS, REAL-TIME WATER-MONITORING FOR TRITIUM AND OTHER RADIONUCLIDES Robert Goldstein – Technical Associates & Overhoff Danny Dotson -- Jefferson National Lab, Retired

Slide2: 

The way it was-- No real-time detection of Alpha, Tritium / Beta emitters Their Radiation is not penetrating enough to pass through the water to reach and to enter a detector TA OVERHOFF

Slide3: 

That is bad because-- Tritium and other radioactive materials need to be monitored and measured in the.. TA OVERHOFF Environment Research Lab Medicine Industry Fission and Fusion

Request from J-Lab: 

Request from J-Lab Behind the accelerator target at Jefferson National Lab is a tank of ultra-pure water that serves as an “energy dump” for the particle beam. Tritium is created and should be measured in an automatic continuous system to allow disposal. Could TA develop such a measurement system? TA OVERHOFF 5 Curies per year 10mCi per day 20,000 pCi/l (drinking water standard)

Slide5: 

Challenges and Methods: Physics, Optics, Engineering TA OVERHOFF Even in the air, Tritium is hard to detect 18.590 KeV beta emission 6 Kev average Requires that the sample pass inside the detector, and deposit its energy in some detectable form. Typical is an ion-chamber or gas proportional detector, A liquid scintillation system is possible with water sample, But is expensive with large tanks of scintillation solution.

The water flows through a Bed Of Sandmade of crushed scintillation crystals: 

The water flows through a Bed Of Sand made of crushed scintillation crystals Large Surface Area Methods: Physics Much of the Tritium is close enough to a ‘grain of sand’ (tiny scintillation crystal) that the beta can ‘make it to shore’ and Send some light to our photo-sensors. TA OVERHOFF

Slide7: 

Methods: Optics Photon bursts from betas colliding with scintillator TA OVERHOFF All flow-cell elements are optically transparent

Water Flow Path: 

Water Flow Path Methods Engineering TA OVERHOFF

Valves for manual or automated Tritium disposal: 

Valves for manual or automated Tritium disposal TA OVERHOFF

Slide10: 

TA OVERHOFF J-LAB RESULTS Veto-valve level set at 80% of 20,000 picoCurie/liter Safe drinking water levels Savings over $300,000 in tank trucks or waste solidification and waste disposal fees alone.

SSS-33-M8: 

SSS-33-M8 TRITIUM IN WATER MONITOR REAL TIME CONTINUOUS SENSITIVITY TO 0.1 nanoCurie /ml TA OVERHOFF OTHER USES: LAB MONITOR

Slide12: 

TA OVERHOFF OTHER USES: Challenge--squeeze it to 2” diameter?! Down-Hole Tritium Monitor

Slide13: 

PROBE / SONDE LAYOUT TA OVERHOFF OTHER USES: Down-Hole Tritium Monitor

SSS-33-DHC: 

SSS-33-DHC DOWN HOLE TRITIUM IN WATER DETECTOR SENSITIVE TO BELOW EPA CLEAN DRINKING WATER LEVELS NOT INFLUENCED BY OTHER NUCLIDES TA OVERHOFF OTHER USES: Down-Hole Tritium Monitor

Slide15: 

CHEMIST-IN-A-BOXTM SSS-33-5FT Continuous alpha/beta tritium monitoring Reservoirs, Aqueducts, Filtration Plants Historical Data Retrieval Acute Levels Monitor Recently scheduled for EPA trials TA OVERHOFF OTHER USES: Drinking Water Monitor

Slide16: 

TA OVERHOFF RESULTS: Drinking Water Monitor

Slide17: 

Chronic Levels Monitor TA OVERHOFF RESULTS: Drinking Water Monitor

Slide18: 

OTHER USES: Chemical--Biological--Radiological Water Monitor TA OVERHOFF Unitecttm

Slide19: 

TA OVERHOFF RESULTS: Chemical--Biological--Radiological Gel Cap Cartridge 1.0mg/liter

Slide20: 

Engineering Challenge: Miniaturization From 1.5 cubic meters -- reduce volume by factor of 20 to suitcase size. From 120VAC to Solar + battery. TA OVERHOFF OTHER USES: Suitcase Monitor

Slide21: 

Engineering Challenge: Miniaturize and Ruggedize TA OVERHOFF OTHER USES: Backpack Monitor Reduce volume, change shape for military backpack use

Slide22: 

The Need for Monitoring TA OVERHOFF TRITIUM IN GROUNDWATER HANFORD 1964-1993 WASHINGTON PUBLIC HEALTH V.14/SUMMER 1996 WETF

FOUR CONTAMINATION SCENARIOS: 

FOUR CONTAMINATION SCENARIOS Terrorism Leaching Power Dumping TA OVERHOFF

Slide24: 

Well-head Reservoir Water Flow Paths TA OVERHOFF Strategic Placement for Drinking Water

Slide25: 

Settling Ponds Filtration Plants Pipelines TA OVERHOFF Strategic Placement for Any Water Water uses: Drinking Agriculture Industry Environmental Waste

Remedies: 

Remedies Upon Detection STOP THE WATER FLOW Determine Mitigation TA OVERHOFF

We will need more tritium and more Tritium monitoring as we ramp up for Fusion Power: 

Published by the Australian Science Archives Project on ASAPWeb, 26 June 1996 Comments or corrections to: Bright Sparcs (bsparcs@asap.unimelb.edu.au) Prepared by: Denise Sutherland Updated by: Elissa Tenkate Date modified: 19 February 1998 Top | Sir Mark Oliphant | Bright Sparcs Exhibitions | Bright Sparcs | ASAPWeb We will need more tritium and more Tritium monitoring as we ramp up for Fusion Power TA OVERHOFF

NOW WE’VE ADDED-- Real Time WATER MONITORS for TRITIUM and other CONTAMINENTS: 

NOW WE’VE ADDED-- Real Time WATER MONITORS for TRITIUM and other CONTAMINENTS TA OVERHOFF