Characterisation and suitability of a CdTe detector for strontium 90 assay in groundwater

Turkington, G., Gamage, K. A.A. and Graham, J. (2021) Characterisation and suitability of a CdTe detector for strontium 90 assay in groundwater. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment, 997, 165155. (doi: 10.1016/j.nima.2021.165155)

Abstract

This presents a design of an in-situ detector for monitoring strontium 90 activity in groundwater at nuclear decommissioning sites. Current techniques for monitoring strontium 90 activity are lab-based and are time consuming, expensive and produce secondary waste. To alleviate these problems, a proof-of-concept detector has been developed which will be deployed in-situ, directly into groundwater boreholes. A compact detector was designed,housed in a waterproof casing and its initial performance as a strontium 90 detector in water was examined. A 10 x 10 x 1 mm cadmium telluride detector was paired with a appropriate charge sensitive amplifiers and readout systems to make a 118 x 83 x 40 mm sensor which was submersed in water. A 35.79 MBq collimated strontium 90 source was used to determine that the sensor was capable of counting beta particles from a range of 49.50 mm in water. The detector was held at a reverse bias of 80 V for 290 minutes, the average counts observed in 5 minute intervals went from 1.32×106±1.14×103 to 1.28×106±1.13×103. However, the results presented have established a viable proof-of-concept for an in-situ detector for strontium 90 assay in groundwater.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gamage, Professor Kelum and Turkington, Mr Graeme
• Authors: Turkington, G., Gamage, K. A.A., and Graham, J.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Systems Power and Energy
• Journal Name: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0168-9002
• ISSN (Online): 1872-9576
• Published Online: 13 February 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
• First Published: First published in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment 997: 165155
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy