Measurement of radon exhalation rate and radiation doses in fly ash samples.

Coal based thermal power plants contribute about ~ 72% of the power generation in India. Indian coal is of bituminous type, having a high ash content with 55-60% ash. Due to considerable environmental importance the collected fly ash has become a subject of worldwide interest in recent years.

Radiological and pollution risk assessments of terrestrial radionuclides and heavy metals in a mineralized zone of the siwalik region (India).

The present study reveals the distribution of terrestrial radionuclides (Ra, Th and K) and heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Co) from soil samples of Una, Hamirpur and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh (India). The Ra, Th, K activity concentration in the studied region has been varied from 8 to 3593 Bq kg; 21-370 Bq kg16; 62-7130 Bq kg respectively. High disequilibrium factor (U/Ra) depicts that uranium constantly migrates from clay oxidizing zone and getting precipitated with enrichment towards south.

Quantification of an alpha flux based radiological dose from seasonal exposure to Rn, Rn and their different EEC species.

This study summarizes the seasonal experimental data on the activity concentrations of indoor Rn (Radon), Rn (Thoron) and their progeny in Mansa and Muktsar districts of Punjab (India) using LR-115 solid state nuclear track detector based time integrated pin-hole cup dosimeters and deposition based progeny sensors for the assessment of radiological dose. The indoor Rn concentration was observed higher in the rainy and winter seasons while Rn concentration was observed higher in the winter season. However, Equilibrium Equivalent Concentrations (EECs) of Rn and Rn exhibited distinct seasonal behaviour unlike their parent nuclides.

Structural, photoluminescence and dielectric investigations of phosphatic shale.

In the current study, the structural and spectroscopic properties of phosphatic shale samples obtained from the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research were probed for potential use as a phosphor material. X-ray diffraction and Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the beneficiated phosphatic shale samples were primarily monophasic consisting of fluorapatite [Ca (PO ) F, (FAP)] with minor traces of haematite (α-Fe O ) and calcite (CaCO ). Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence revealed the presence of U, Eu, Dy and Tb in the FAP matrix substituted at Ca(I) and Ca(II) sites of FAP.