Rapid analysis method for the determination of 14C specific activity in irradiated graphite.

14C is one of the limiting radionuclides used in the categorization of radioactive graphite waste; this categorization is crucial in selecting the appropriate graphite treatment/disposal method. We propose a rapid analysis method for 14C specific activity determination in small graphite samples in the 1-100 μg range. The method applies an oxidation procedure to the sample, which extracts 14C from the different carbonaceous matrices in a controlled manner.

Uncertainty of determination of Tb in the RBMK nuclear reactor waste.

The activity of Tb was measured in waste samples from the Ignalina NPP Unit I RBMK-1500 reactor using gamma-ray spectrometry. The origin of Tb and the other observed gamma-ray emitters has been studied by using SCALE 6.1 modeling and comparing radionuclide ratios in the RBMK-1500 radioactive waste.