Toward an usage of americium-241 for filter calibration

TL;DR

This paper explores using americium-241 as a radionuclide for non-destructive, SI-traceable calibration of filters in nuclear safety, offering a safer alternative to plutonium with reliable activity measurement.

Contribution

It proposes and validates americium-241 as a novel radionuclide for non-destructive filter calibration, improving safety and measurement accuracy.

Findings

241 Am enables accurate, non-destructive activity measurement.

Calibration with 241 Am reduces uncertainties compared to plutonium.

Use of 241 Am enhances safety and reliability in nuclear contamination monitoring.

Abstract

In nuclear safety and environmental studies, it is necessary to measure the activity of aerosols collected on filters. The calibration of these filters' measurement chains currently involves producing a reference filter with a controlled deposit of aerosol marked by a specific radionuclide. In France, commonly used radionuclides include 137 Cs for gamma or beta emitters, 90 Sr/ 90 Y for beta emitters, and 239 Pu for alpha emitters. However, using 239 Pu presents several issues, notably the destruction of the filter required to determine its traceable activity and the associated uncertainties. The challenge of this project is to propose a radionuclide enabling non-destructive, SI-traceable measurement while retaining the reference filter. The proposed radionuclide is 241 Am, which is both alpha and gamma-emitting and allows for precise non-destructive measurements. Reference filters are produced on the IRSN's ICARE test bench with calibrated aerosols tagged with 241 Am. The reference activity of theses filters is measured by gamma spectrometry on CEA/LNHB reference counter. A series of tests confirmed that 241 Am provides accurate activity determination with minimal uncertainty. Consequently, adopting 241 Am can significantly improve the reliability of radioactive contamination monitoring while avoiding practical challenges associated with plutonium.