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Determination of 135Cs in nuclear power plant wastes by ICP-MS and k 0-NAA

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Abstract

A radiochemical method for the determination of 135Cs in radioactive wastes has been adopted/developed. For the separation of cesium from other elements ammonium-molybdophosphate precipitation and cation exchange chromatography were used. The chemical yield of the method was about 60–100 %. 135Cs was measured by two methods. In neutron activation analysis (NAA), Cs was irradiated with reactor neutrons. 136Cs was detected by gamma spectrometry, wherefrom the activity/mass of 135Cs was calculated according to the k 0-standardization technique. The Cs containing fractions were measured by inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry, as well. NAA and ICP-MS techniques were comparatively evaluated and a good agreement between the results was found. The activity concentration of 135Cs in a couple of waste samples originating from VVER-440 type nuclear reactors was in the range of 1–5 Bq L−1 (20–120 ng L−1) while 137Cs activity concentrations varied between 0.1 and 1 MBq L−1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Security Department, Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 29-33 Konkoly Thege M, Budapest, 1121, Hungary

    P. Nagy, I. Sziklai-László, É. Kovács-Széles & A. Simonits

  2. Radanal Ltd, 29-33 Konkoly Thege M, Budapest, 1121, Hungary

    N. Vajda

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  1. P. Nagy
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  2. N. Vajda
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  3. I. Sziklai-László
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  4. É. Kovács-Széles
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  5. A. Simonits
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Correspondence to P. Nagy.

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Nagy, P., Vajda, N., Sziklai-László, I. et al. Determination of 135Cs in nuclear power plant wastes by ICP-MS and k 0-NAA. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 300, 615–627 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-013-2875-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-013-2875-2

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