An air sampling system to estimate concentrations of argon-41 in the V.P.I. physics building during reactor operation

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Date
1963
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Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Abstract

A gamma scintillation spectrometer was assembled. and calibrated in a low background radiation area to analyze air samples. Air samples were taken from different locations in the physics building during reactor operation to determine the concentrations of A⁴¹ released to the surroundings of the building during reactor operation. The samples were collected in a one gallon polyethylene bottle with a 3 ¾” x 3 ¾” cylindrical well sealed in the bottom. The air samples were taken to the counting area and the sampling bottle placed on the detector, a 3” x 3" cylindrical NaI(TI) crystal which fitted into the well. The pulses from the detector were fed te a multi-channel analyzer. From the number of pulses per unit time under the photo-peak, the concentration of A⁴¹ for each location was determined.

Samples were analyzed for 4, 7, and 10 kw from which a linear extrapolation was made to estimate the concentrations of A⁴¹ in these locations if higher power operation is authorized.

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Virginia Polytechnic Institute. -- Equipment and supplies
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