An autonomous real-time detector system for radionuclide monitoring in drinking water systems

Drinhaus, Jorrit; Harstrick, Alexander; Breustedt, Bastian

Abstract:
For monitoring radioactive contamination of water systems due to nuclear accidents or terrorist attacks, there is need of an in situ online measurement to assess alpha-, beta- and gamma-emitting radionuclide contaminants quickly and accurately. However, there is no well-established online monitoring system for permanent surveillance of drinking water systems. Therefore, a real-time measurement system was developed based on the readout of plastic scintillator sheets by a photomultiplier. Direct contact between scintillator and streaming water allows for the detection of both long- and short-ranged particles. Using a passive cooling system, detection limits of 141 Bq/L for $^{241}$ Am, 20 Bq/L for $^{60}$ Co and 17 Bq/L for $^{137}$ Cs were achieved with measurements of 60 s counting time. The system has been designed to be operated safely without deep knowledge of radiation measurement technology. The detector can be connected as a bypass to a water system and be operated in a continuous online survey mode, making it applicable as an early warning system.

 Zugehörige Institution(en) am KIT Sicherheit und Umwelt (SUM) Publikationstyp Zeitschriftenaufsatz Publikationsjahr 2021 Sprache Englisch Identifikator ISSN: 2523-3971, 2523-3963 KITopen-ID: 1000130320 Erschienen in SN Applied Sciences Verlag Springer International Publishing Band 3 Heft 2 Seiten 220 Schlagwörter Monitoring; Drinking water; Radionuclides; Scintillation counting; Emergency situation; Nachgewiesen in Scopus
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