<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> Following the accident at the Daiichi Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011, a vast number of Pacific seawater samples from many locations far from Fukushima have been collected by Japanese investigators. Due to dilution, the activities of radionuclides from North Pacific seawater samples are very low, which calls for extraordinary measures when being measured. This study focuses on the metrological aspects of the gamma-ray spectrometry measurements performed on such samples in two underground laboratories; at HADES (by JRC-IRMM in Belgium), and at Ogoya (by Kanazawa University in Japan). Due to many samples and long measurement times, all available HPGe detectors needed to be employed. In addition to single coaxial detectors, this involved multidetector systems and well detectors. Optimization of detection limits for different radionuclides and detectors was performed using Monte Carlo simulations.</p></abstract>

Following the accident at the Daiichi Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011, a vast number of Pacific seawater samples from many locations far from Fukushima have been collected by Japanese investigators. Due to dilution, the activities of radionuclides from North Pacific seawater samples are very low, which calls for extraordinary measures when being measured. This study focuses on the metrological aspects of the gamma-ray spectrometry measurements performed on such samples in two underground laboratories; at HADES (by JRC-IRMM in Belgium), and at Ogoya (by Kanazawa University in Japan). Due to many samples and long measurement times, all available HPGe detectors needed to be employed. In addition to single coaxial detectors, this involved multidetector systems and well detectors. Optimization of detection limits for different radionuclides and detectors was performed using Monte Carlo simulations.

Measurement of anthropogenic radionuclides in post-Fukushima Pacific seawater samples

EC-JRC-IRMM, Retieseweg 111, B-2440 Geel, Belgium, Tel.: +32 14 571269, Fax: +32 14 584273

Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima, 963-8811 Japan and Meteorological Research Institute, 1-1 Nagamine, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0052, Japan

Kanazawa University, O-24 Tatsunokuchi, Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1224, Japan

Nukleonika

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Following the accident at the Daiichi Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011, a vast number of Pacific seawater samples from many locations far from Fukushima...

Measurement of anthropogenic radionuclides in post-Fukushima Pacific seawater samples

Published Online: Sep 25, 2015

Page range: 545 - 550

Received: Sep 24, 2014

Accepted: May 20, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nuka-2015-0112

Keywords
detection limit · Fukushima · gamma-ray spectrometry · Monte Carlo · radiocesium · underground laboratory

© by Faidra Tzika

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Measurement of anthropogenic radionuclides in post-Fukushima Pacific seawater samples

Published Online: Sep 25, 2015

Page range: 545 - 550

Received: Sep 24, 2014

Accepted: May 20, 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/nuka-2015-0112

Keywordsdetection limit · Fukushima · gamma-ray spectrometry · Monte Carlo · radiocesium · underground laboratory

© by Faidra Tzika

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
detection limit · Fukushima · gamma-ray spectrometry · Monte Carlo · radiocesium · underground laboratory