Document Details

Considerations for an automated system to detect 'hot' particles
Author:	Long, Stephen, Martin, Lindsay
Co-Author(s):

The British government detonated seven nuclear weapons at Maralinga, South Australia, between 1956 and 1957 and the contamination resulting from these tests has largely decayed and no longer poses a serious health risk. However, the British government also conducted many ‘Minor Trials’ at Maralinga between 1959 and 1963. These trials were safety tests and other experiments designed to develop the components of a nuclear weapon, and involved the dispersal of various radionuclides using conventional explosives. Most of these radionuclides were short-lived but four sites were still contaminated with plutonium (mainly 239Pu with smaller amounts of 238Pu, 240Pu and 241Pu) some thirty years later. As the radiological auditor for the Maralinga Rehabilitation Project, ARPANSA (Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency) was required to ensure that the remediated areas did not contain any particles highly contaminated with plutonium and that the numbers of moderately contaminated particles met the criterion set for the project. In order to examine a land area exceeding 2,500,000m2, it was necessary to develop an automated system for detecting ‘hot’ particles. The article discusses the technical aspects considered when developing this system. In particular, the basis for optimising the counting interval and an improved counting methodology is discussed and compared with alternatives. The performance of the system under the conditions found at Maralinga is described.

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Price:	£21.28 (£25.00 inc.)
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