Analytical Method for 59Ni and 63Ni in Low-level Radioactive Wastes Arising from Nuclear Research Facilities

• Published in: RADIOISOTOPES Vol. 58; no. 5; pp. 153 - 160
• Main Authors: KAMEO, Yutaka, HARAGA, Tomoko, KATAYAMA, Atsushi, HOSHI, Akiko, NAKASHIMA, Mikio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Radioisotope Association 2009
• Subjects: nickel-59; nickel-63; radioactive waste; radiochemical analysis; solid-phase extraction; X-ray spectrometry
• ISSN: 0033-8303; 1884-4111
• DOI: 10.3769/radioisotopes.58.153

A routine analytical method was developed for the determination of 59Ni and 63Ni in low-level radioactive wastes arising from nuclear research facilities. A separation scheme of 59Ni and 63Ni in waste samples was optimized by considering concentration of interference radionuclides and chemical composition of the waste samples. Concentrations of 59Ni and 63Ni in actual radioactive wastes such as pipes and liquid waste could be well determined by the present analytical method. In the determination, the time required for the chemical separation was five to seven days per ten samples. It was concluded that the present method could be applied to a routine determination of 59Ni and 63Ni in low-level radioactive wastes. In the present experiment, radioactivity ratio of 63Ni/59Ni in pipe samples, which were taken from a nuclear research reactor, was estimated by a computer code(ORIGEN2). Radioactivity ratio of 63Ni/59Ni, obtained by the computer calculation, was ranged from 98 to 109 and that obtained by the present analytical method was 118±6.