Summary
Main sources of radionuclides in steel in nuclear decommissioning are the unintentional melting of orphan sources and scrap. This paper presents data about the activity of γ-emitters in German steels obtained by low-level γ -ray spectrometry in an underground laboratory. The 60Co activity exceeds only 2% of the 215 analyzed samples with a detection limit of 4.4 . 10-5 Bq . g-1. Even the maximum measured 60Co activity of 2.5 . 10-4 Bq . g-1 is a factor of 400 lower than the clearance level. The determination of the detector efficiency is also described for these unusual samples using Monte Carlo calculations.
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Köhler, M., Saupe, M. Screening of primordial and artificial radionuclides in German steel by low-level gamma-ray spectrometry in an underground laboratory. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 263, 381–385 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-005-0598-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-005-0598-8