Intrinsic dosimetry of glass containers: a potential interrogation tool for nuclear forensics and waste management
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Intrinsic dosimetry of glass containers: a potential interrogation tool for nuclear forensics and waste management Richard A. Clark • J. David Robertson • Eric D. Walter • Steve D. Miller • Jon M. Schwantes
Received: 18 July 2012 / Published online: 17 August 2012 Akade´miai Kiado´, Budapest, Hungary 2012
Abstract Intrinsic dosimetry is the method of measuring total absorbed dose received by the walls of a container holding radioactive material. By considering the total absorbed dose received by a container in tandem with the physical characteristics of the radioactive material housed within that container, this method has the potential to provide enhanced pathway information regarding the history of the container and its radioactive contents. We report the latest in a series of experiments designed to validate and demonstrate this newly developed tool. Thermoluminescence (TL) dosimetry was used to measure dose effects on raw stock borosilicate container glass up to 70 days after gamma ray, X-ray, beta particle or ultraviolet irradiations at doses from 0.15 to 20 Gy. Two main peaks were identified in the TL glow curve when irradiated with 60Co, a relatively unstable peak around 120 C and a more stable peak around 225 C. Signal strength of both peaks decayed with time. The minimum measurable dose using this technique is 0.15 Gy, which is roughly equivalent to a 24 h irradiation at 1 cm from a 50 ng 60Co source. As a result of R. A. Clark (&) E. D. Walter S. D. Miller J. M. Schwantes Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352, USA e-mail: [email protected] E. D. Walter e-mail: [email protected] S. D. Miller e-mail: [email protected] J. M. Schwantes e-mail: [email protected] R. A. Clark J. D. Robertson Department of Chemistry and Research Reactor, University of Missouri, Research Park Drive, Columbia, MO 65211, USA e-mail: [email protected]
fading, this dose would be detectable for approximately 1 year post-irradiation. In a more detailed analysis, the TL glow curves were separated into five peaks centered near 120, 160, 225, 300, and 340 C. Differences in TL glow curve shape and intensity were observed for the glasses from different geographical origins. These differences can be explained by changes in the intensities of the five peaks. This suggests that mechanisms controlling radiation induced defect formation from gamma, beta, X-ray, and UV sources may be similar. Keywords Glass Intrinsic dosimetry Thermoluminescence Nuclear forensics
Introduction Radiation has a wide range of effects on materials. Some materials are highly sensitive to radiation while others are resistant to damage from high radiation fields [1]. Radiation damage is generally connected to the creation of disorder in the irradiated material through the formation of vacancies and interstitial atoms within the material’s crystal structure [2]. Due to its non-crystalline (amorphous) structure, glass is relatively resistant to radiation damage. For this r
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