Gamma spectrometry in

deep sea water

Jose Busto
CPPM / 9 -11 - 2010
 Concentrations of Natural Radionuclides in the sea

Radionuclide Half – life Activity ( dpm / l)

40
K 1.25 10 9 yr 670
Single Long 87
Rb 4.7 10 10 yr 64
Lived 129
I 1.7 10 7 yr 0.06

238
U 4.9 10 9 yr ~3 – 0.2

… ,226Ra, 214Bi, 210Pb … 206Pb

U and Th
Chains 232
Th 1.4 10 10yr 0.005 - 0.05

..., 228Ac,212Pb, 208Tl … 208Pb

3
H 12.26 yr 0.036
Cosmogenic
7
Be 53 d 0.05
14
C 5570 yr 0.2 - 0.3

Anthropogenic Radionuclides
Cs, 60Co, 90 Sr, 3H, ….
137
Radioactivity in the marine environment
 1950’s

 Water or sea floor measurements

=> mineral exploration

=> geological mapping

=> sediments transport

=> discharge and dump of radioactive wastes

=> radiation damage to optical fiber telephone cables.

=> …
 Single sample collection of water or sediments
 Classical Radioanalytical methods
 Preconcentration
 Separation
 Long-term
measurements
 Alpha spectrometry
 Gamma spectrometry
 Neutron Activation Analysis
 Mass spectrometry

 Access to all radionuclide with very high sensibility

(  < 10-12 g/g in 238U )

 No continuous evaluation of radioactivity

  Towed detector systems

• Mapping large area

• Control time of measurement

• Gamma spectrometry (NaI)

  Autonomous in situ detectors

• Very high statistic time

• Evolution of radioactivity

• Gamma spectrometry (NaI, Ge)

 Measure the radioactivity of the water
continuously in the ANTARES site

The case of 40K

Ca + e + e
40  (89.3 %)
K 
40
e+ e  (0.03 %)
Ar +
40
e EC (10.67 %)

(10.7 %)
 spectrometry (89.3 %)

(NaI, Ge) 40
K
10.67 % EC Cerenkov light
(ANTARES)
1460 keV
1312 keV 

Ca
40

Ar
40
 40
K continuous measurement with ANTARES

-2400 m

13.0 ± 0.5 Hz observed => 12 ± 4 Hz expected

Ca
40

K
40

Cerenkov
Anti-neutrino 
 Project to measure gamma activity in ANTARES site

NaI  spectrometer in an standard ANTARES glass sphere

USB feed HV + MCA

3’ x 3’ NaI cristal

17’ ANTARES glass sphere

3’ PM FIT PC2 data acquisition ( 6W )

 Ra spectrum
226

226
Ra

214
Pb

214
Pb
214
Pb

214
Bi
214
Bi
214
Bi
 K spectrum
40

226
Ra

214
Pb 40
K
214
Bi
• Preliminary tests => Autonomy ~ 15 days

 Autonomy increase => suppression of hard disk

•Still to do

 inner background => Pb shielding (LSM)

 efficiency => MC v.s KCl dilute in water

 A dream ?
Gamma spectrometry with Ge detectors

226
Ra Ge spectrum
 Not a dream

Canberra

4 h operation with a single battery

Existing project in India cost for a continuous Ge spectrometer @ 500 m deep

Conclusion

 Many measurements of sea radioactivity.

 Long period in situ measurements never done (?).

 Installation of a preliminary continuous NaI gamma

spectrometer in the ANTARES site.

Possibility to perform continuous gamma spectrometry

with very high energy resolution ( Ge ).
Radioactivity from Salt

 Fraud control