Uncertainty assessment method for the Cs-137 fallout inventory and penetration depth.

Within the presented study, soil samples were collected in year 2007 at 20 different locations of the Greek terrain, both from the surface and also from depths down to 26 cm. Sampling locations were selected primarily from areas where high levels of Cs deposition after the Chernobyl accident had already been identified by the Nuclear Engineering Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens during and after the year of 1986. At one location of relatively higher deposition, soil core samples were collected following a 60 m by 60 m Cartesian grid with a 20 m node-to-node distance.

Radiological characteristics and investigation of the radioactive equilibrium in the ashes produced in lignite-fired power plants.

Coal- and lignite-fired power plants produce significant amounts of ashes, which are quite often being used as additives in cement and other building materials. In many cases, coal and lignite present high concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides, such as 238U, 226Ra, 210Pb, 232Th and 40K. During the combustion process, the produced ashes are enriched in the above radionuclides.

Determination of depleted uranium in environmental samples by gamma-spectroscopic techniques.

The military use of depleted uranium initiated the need for an efficient and reliable method to detect and quantify DU contamination in environmental samples. This paper presents such a method, based on the gamma spectroscopic determination of 238U and 235U. The main advantage of this method is that it allows for a direct determination of the U isotope ratio, while requiring little sample preparation and being significantly less labor intensive than methods requiring radiochemical treatment.

Radioenvironmental survey of the Megalopolis lignite field basin.

The Megalopolis lignite field basin in southern Greece, with Megalopolis-A and B lignite-fired power plants in operation (total 900 MW), has been repeatedly investigated during the past 25 years by the Nuclear Engineering Section of the National Technical University of Athens (NES-NTUA). The present work aims at an integrated radioenvironmental approach leading to the dose assessment to the public and to the plants staff. This approach includes systematic sampling of lignite and barren at the local lignite mines feeding the power plants and sampling of lignite, fly-ash and bottom ash at the power plants for the determination of the activity of the natural radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, 234Th and 210Pb.

Geographical mapping and associated fractal analysis of the long-lived Chernobyl fallout radionuclides in Greece.

Immediately after the Chernobyl accident, a soil sampling programme was undertaken in order to detect and quantitatively analyse the long-lived radionuclides in the Chernobyl fallout. Soil samples (1242 in number) of 1 cm thick surface soil were collected in Greece during the period from May-November 1986. The samples were counted and analysed using Ge detector set-ups.