WO1999051997A1 - Procede de mesure de l'activite tritium d'un fut de dechets radioactifs - Google Patents

Procede de mesure de l'activite tritium d'un fut de dechets radioactifs Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1999051997A1
WO1999051997A1 PCT/FR1999/000785 FR9900785W WO9951997A1 WO 1999051997 A1 WO1999051997 A1 WO 1999051997A1 FR 9900785 W FR9900785 W FR 9900785W WO 9951997 A1 WO9951997 A1 WO 9951997A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
barrel
tritium
measuring
radioactive waste
partial pressure
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/FR1999/000785
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Philippe Bugeon
Bernard Bachet
Didier Devillard
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives CEA
Original Assignee
Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique CEA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique CEA filed Critical Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique CEA
Priority to JP2000542680A priority Critical patent/JP2002510800A/ja
Priority to CA002324890A priority patent/CA2324890C/fr
Priority to US09/647,735 priority patent/US6731714B1/en
Priority to EP99911877A priority patent/EP1070266B1/fr
Priority to DE69909074T priority patent/DE69909074T2/de
Priority to UA2000106058A priority patent/UA57136C2/uk
Publication of WO1999051997A1 publication Critical patent/WO1999051997A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
    • G21F—PROTECTION AGAINST X-RADIATION, GAMMA RADIATION, CORPUSCULAR RADIATION OR PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT; TREATING RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED MATERIAL; DECONTAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS THEREFOR
    • G21F9/00—Treating radioactively contaminated material; Decontamination arrangements therefor
    • G21F9/02—Treating gases

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method for measuring the tritium activity of a radioactive waste drum.
  • Tritium is a radionuclide found in radioactive waste. It is an unstable isotope of hydrogen. Its disintegration into 3 helium is accompanied by the emission of a ⁇ particle with a negative charge which corresponds to an electron. The paths of these ⁇ particles are extremely short. They do not exceed 6 ⁇ m in water and 5.7 mm in air. This property excludes any possibility of detection of tritium radiation through the walls of drums or in solid or liquid waste.
  • Tritium is also present in organic solid waste, for example poly (ethylene / vinyl acetate) or EVA or poly
  • Ci result in one year a clearance d, helium 3 leading to a concentration of 0.0055 ppm of this gas in a volume of 200 liters.
  • Tritium is radioactive ⁇ " . It decays giving 3 helium, an electron and an antineutrino depending on the reaction:
  • the radioactive period of tritium is the radioactive period of tritium
  • N 3He quantity of 3 helium formed during the period t
  • the subject of the invention is therefore a method for measuring the tritium activity of a radioactive waste barrel containing a quantity of radioactive waste and a free volume, consisting in measuring the quantity of 3 He produced by the disintegration of the tritium contained in said radioactive waste for a determined period and to deduce therefrom the corresponding activity of tritium contained in said radioactive waste.
  • the amount of 3.3 He produced can advantageously be evaluated by a leak detector.
  • the tritiated waste enclosed in the bags generally behaves like a single source of 3 helium which flows into the free volume of the barrel.
  • the partial pressure of the gas present is a function of the flow rate of 3 helium from the tritium source (therefore of the activity), the free volume and the tightness of the barrel (part of the created gas escapes), the confinement time.
  • the measurement can be carried out in three stages: calibration and measurement of the concentration of 3 helium, measurement of the free volume in the barrel, measurement of the tightness of the barrel.
  • the method according to the invention can therefore comprise the following operations: a) taking a sample of the gas contained in the barrel and evaluating the quantity d
  • parasitic gases are removed from the sample taken before evaluating the amount of IJ He.
  • said evaluation may include the comparison of the sample taken with a gas at the same pressure and with a known 3 He concentration.
  • Operation b) can be carried out by injecting a known quantity of 4 He into the barrel, then by measuring the partial pressure d , 4 He into the barrel, finally by determining the free volume of said barrel from the known quantity d , He and the measurement of the partial pressure of 4 He.
  • This partial pressure measurement d , 4 He can be obtained by taking a sample of the gas contained in the barrel and evaluation of the quantity of 4 He contained in this sample by a leak detector.
  • Operation c) can be carried out by injecting a known quantity of 4 He into the barrel, then by measuring the partial pressure of 4 He in the barrel for the first time, then after a period determined relative to said first time , by measuring a second time the partial pressure of 4 He in the barrel, the leak rate of the barrel being calculated from these partial pressure values of 4 He and the said time determined between these partial pressure measurements.
  • the measurement of said quantity of 3 He produced can simply be obtained by placing the barrel in an enclosure intended to collect the 3 He leaking from the barrel and evaluating this quantity of 3 He by the leak detector.
  • the appended figure shows a barrel 1 closed by a cover 6 and containing radioactive waste 2 placed in PVC bags and leaving a free volume 3 in the barrel.
  • Reference 4 designates a leak detector provided with a mass spectrometer.
  • a test tube 5, with a capacity of the order of 2 liters, allows a sample of gas to be taken from the free volume 3 of the barrel, through the cover 6.
  • the signal delivered by a leak detector depends, among other things, on the value of the flow of tracer gas and the pressure of the tracer gas located upstream of this leak.
  • the 3 He concentration of the sample tubes is deduced after calibration under the same conditions as test tubes with known 3 He concentration.
  • the 3 He concentration in the sample tubes is low, of the order of one part per billion.
  • a pressure of the order of 10 millibars can be reached in the test piece. Under these conditions, the 3 He concentration in the test tube is multiplied by a factor of 100.
  • test tube 5 is connected to the leak detector via a micrometric valve 8.
  • the sample to be checked is then placed upstream of the calibrated leak of the detector 4.
  • the calibration is carried out by replacing the sampled gas with a gas at the same pressure and with a known 3 He concentration.
  • the measure of free volume (which is the volume offered at 3 He, i.e. the volume surrounding the bags of waste and the volume in the bags in which 1 J He can diffuse) of the barrel 1 made by injecting a known quantity of 4 He into the barrel. After diffusion of this gas in the barrel volume, the partial pressure of He is measured using the technique used for 3 He. We deduce the free volume by the relation:
  • the leak rate Q barrel of the barrel is a function of the pressure variation in the free volume. This function follows the law of the diffusion of helium through polymers:
  • the partial pressure of 3 He inside the barrel is such that the system stabilizes.
  • the apparent leakage from the barrel is equal to the flow from the tritium source (the 3 He which is created). Under these conditions, sampling from the barrel is no longer necessary. It is enough to measure the apparent leakage of the barrel to know its tritium activity. This measurement can be made by placing the 200-liter barrel for about 20 hours in a slightly larger enclosure, in order to limit the dead volume to around twenty liters, and by measuring the concentration in ° He as before.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
  • Measurement Of Radiation (AREA)
PCT/FR1999/000785 1998-04-07 1999-04-06 Procede de mesure de l'activite tritium d'un fut de dechets radioactifs Ceased WO1999051997A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2000542680A JP2002510800A (ja) 1998-04-07 1999-04-06 放射性廃棄物のドラムのトリチウムの放射能の強さの測定方法
CA002324890A CA2324890C (fr) 1998-04-07 1999-04-06 Procede de mesure de l'activite tritium d'un fut de dechets radioactifs
US09/647,735 US6731714B1 (en) 1998-04-07 1999-04-06 Method for measuring tritium activity in a radioactive waste drum
EP99911877A EP1070266B1 (fr) 1998-04-07 1999-04-06 Procede de mesure de l'activite tritium d'un fut de dechets radioactifs
DE69909074T DE69909074T2 (de) 1998-04-07 1999-04-06 Verfahren zur messung der tritium-aktivität in einem behälter für radioaktiven abfall
UA2000106058A UA57136C2 (uk) 1998-04-07 1999-06-04 Спосіб визначення активності тритію в контейнері з радіоактивними відходами

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR98/04302 1998-04-07
FR9804302A FR2777090B1 (fr) 1998-04-07 1998-04-07 Procede de msesure de l'activite tritium d'un fut de dechets radioactifs

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1999051997A1 true WO1999051997A1 (fr) 1999-10-14

Family

ID=9524939

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/FR1999/000785 Ceased WO1999051997A1 (fr) 1998-04-07 1999-04-06 Procede de mesure de l'activite tritium d'un fut de dechets radioactifs

Country Status (9)

Country Link
US (1) US6731714B1 (https=)
EP (1) EP1070266B1 (https=)
JP (1) JP2002510800A (https=)
CA (1) CA2324890C (https=)
DE (1) DE69909074T2 (https=)
FR (1) FR2777090B1 (https=)
RU (1) RU2225016C2 (https=)
UA (1) UA57136C2 (https=)
WO (1) WO1999051997A1 (https=)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8597471B2 (en) 2010-08-19 2013-12-03 Industrial Idea Partners, Inc. Heat driven concentrator with alternate condensers
TWI460460B (zh) * 2013-03-18 2014-11-11 Inst Nuclear Energy Res Atomic Energy Council 用過核子燃料貯存桶頂部輻射偵檢裝置
RU2696811C1 (ru) * 2018-08-09 2019-08-06 Федеральное государственное бюджетное учреждение науки Институт геологии и минералогии им. В.С. Соболева Сибирского отделения Российской академии наук (Институт геологии и минералогии СО РАН, ИГМ СО РАН) Способ определения объемной активности трития в горючем природном газе или попутном нефтяном газе скважин нефтяных и газовых месторождений

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4562000A (en) * 1982-04-21 1985-12-31 Kernforschungsanlage Julich Gesellschaft Mit Beschrankter Haftung Process for the separation of krypton from a radioactive waste gas mixture and arrangement for implementing the process
US4882093A (en) * 1987-09-09 1989-11-21 Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Process and installation for the treatment of solid organic waste contaminated by tritium
JPH07151879A (ja) * 1993-12-01 1995-06-16 Toshiba Corp トリチウム燃料サイクルシステム

Family Cites Families (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2331209A1 (de) * 1973-06-19 1975-01-16 Kraftwerk Union Ag Einrichtung zur aktivitaetsueberwachung
US4019864A (en) * 1974-09-10 1977-04-26 Sagami Chemical Research Center Method for measuring radioactivities of tritium and carbon-14 in sample air and apparatus for performing the same method
US4075312A (en) * 1977-06-06 1978-02-21 The United States Of America As Represented By The United States Department Of Energy Process for recovering evolved hydrogen enriched with at least one heavy hydrogen isotope
US4196176A (en) * 1978-08-03 1980-04-01 The United States Of America As Represented By The United States Department Of Energy Method and apparatus for controlling accidental releases of tritium
DE2905094C2 (de) * 1979-02-10 1982-03-18 GNS Gesellschaft für Nuklear-Service mbH, 4300 Essen Abschirmtransport- und/oder Abschirmlagerbehälter
DE2950198A1 (de) * 1979-12-13 1981-06-19 Kraftwerk Union AG, 4330 Mülheim Einrichtung und verfahren zur lagerung von verbrauchten brennelementen
DE3025795C2 (de) * 1980-07-08 1986-08-28 GNS Gesellschaft für Nuklear-Service mbH, 4300 Essen Verfahren zur kontinuierlichen Überwachung von zwei Dichtungsbarrieren bei Abschirmtransport- und Lagerbehältern für radioaktive Substanzen
JPS57179680A (en) * 1981-04-30 1982-11-05 Sagami Chem Res Center Measuring method for radioactivity of tritium
US4808831A (en) * 1987-03-25 1989-02-28 Bioscan, Inc. Container for wet and dry radioactive samples
SU1718165A1 (ru) * 1989-10-11 1992-03-07 Воронежский государственный университет им.Ленинского комсомола Способ измерени трити в воде
JPH0424583A (ja) * 1990-05-18 1992-01-28 Toshiba Corp トリチウム計測装置
US5089214A (en) * 1990-07-26 1992-02-18 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Apparatus for monitoring the pressure within a cask containing radioactive material
US5080693A (en) * 1991-03-26 1992-01-14 The United States Of America As Represented By The United States Department Of Energy Tritium monitor and collection system
DE4210832C1 (en) * 1992-04-01 1993-07-22 Siemens Ag, 8000 Muenchen, De Determn. of tritium content in radioactive sample opt. contg. other radio-nuclides - by holding sample in container permeable only to hydrogen isotope ions, heating and supplying with inert gas
US5473643A (en) * 1994-08-19 1995-12-05 Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company Corrosion testing using isotopes
US5464988A (en) * 1994-11-23 1995-11-07 The United States Of America As Represented By The Department Of Energy Tritium waste package

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4562000A (en) * 1982-04-21 1985-12-31 Kernforschungsanlage Julich Gesellschaft Mit Beschrankter Haftung Process for the separation of krypton from a radioactive waste gas mixture and arrangement for implementing the process
US4882093A (en) * 1987-09-09 1989-11-21 Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Process and installation for the treatment of solid organic waste contaminated by tritium
JPH07151879A (ja) * 1993-12-01 1995-06-16 Toshiba Corp トリチウム燃料サイクルシステム

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 095, no. 009 31 October 1995 (1995-10-31) *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2777090A1 (fr) 1999-10-08
FR2777090B1 (fr) 2000-05-05
DE69909074D1 (de) 2003-07-31
RU2225016C2 (ru) 2004-02-27
JP2002510800A (ja) 2002-04-09
US6731714B1 (en) 2004-05-04
CA2324890A1 (fr) 1999-10-14
DE69909074T2 (de) 2004-05-06
EP1070266B1 (fr) 2003-06-25
CA2324890C (fr) 2006-12-05
EP1070266A1 (fr) 2001-01-24
UA57136C2 (uk) 2003-06-16

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