Automated separation and analysis of krypton-85 from low-volume gaseous effluent of nuclear power plant

• Published in: Journal of radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry Vol. 323; no. 1; pp. 213 - 222
• Main Authors: Huang, Yan-Jun, Guo, Gui-Yin, Chen, Chao-Feng, Yang, Li-Tao, Shang-Guan, Zhi-Hong, Sha, Xiang-Dong, Yao, Jian-Lin, Hu, Chen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 2020; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Adsorption; Automation; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Diagnostic Radiology; Gas chromatography; Hadrons; Heavy Ions; Inorganic Chemistry; Krypton; Molecular sieves; Nuclear Chemistry; Nuclear energy; Nuclear Physics; Nuclear power plants; Physical Chemistry; Scintillation counters; Separation; Gaseous effluent; Krypton-85; Automated separation; Liquid scintillation spectrometry; Nuclear power plant
• ISSN: 0236-5731; 1588-2780
• DOI: 10.1007/s10967-019-06838-6

Based on the requirements of the lower detection limit for the low-volume gaseous effluent, we have designed an automatic separation apparatus of krypton (Kr). The principle of the apparatus is based on both the adsorption and desorption mechanism in the traps with the activated carbon particles and gas chromatography with 5A molecular sieves. The separation efficiency and overall recovery rate could be maintained at about (90.4 ± 4.2)% and (24.3 ± 1.3)%. The 85 Kr could be radioassayed on a liquid scintillation counter following the automatic separation and loading into the cryogenic count vial. The detection limit based the low-volume of 3 L is about 9.5 Bq m −3 , and the expanded relative uncertainties are in the range of 13–18% for typical measurements.