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Automated separation and measurement of radioxenon for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

  • Application of Nuclear Techniques to Non-Proliferation Treaties and Weapons Detection
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Abstract

A fully automatic radioxenon sampler/analyzer (ARSA) has been developed and demonstrated for the collection and quantitative measurement of the four xenon radionuclides,131mXe(11.9 d),133mXe(2.2 d),133Xe(5.2 d), and135Xe(9.1 hr), in the atmosphere. These radionuclides are important signatures in monitoring for compliance to a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Activity ratios of these radionuclides permit source attribution. Xenon, continuously and automatically separated from the atmosphere, is automatically analyzed by electron-photon coincidence spectrometry providing a lower limit of detection of about 100 μBq/m3. The demonstrated detection limit is about 100 times better than achievable with reported laboratory-based procedures for the short-time collection intervals of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, 99352, Richland, WA, USA

    T. W. Bowyer, K. H. Abel, C. W. Hubbard, A. D. McKinnon, M. E. Panisko, R. W. Perkins, P. L. Reeder, R. C. Thompson & R. A. Warner

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  1. T. W. Bowyer
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  2. K. H. Abel
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  3. C. W. Hubbard
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  4. A. D. McKinnon
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  5. M. E. Panisko
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  6. R. W. Perkins
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  7. P. L. Reeder
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  8. R. C. Thompson
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  9. R. A. Warner
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Bowyer, T.W., Abel, K.H., Hubbard, C.W. et al. Automated separation and measurement of radioxenon for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 235, 77–82 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02385941

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02385941

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