Radiochemical determination of 41Ca in nuclear reactor concrete

Abstract

Summary A simple analytical method for simultaneous determination of 41Ca and 90Sr in nuclear reactor concrete was developed. Different methods such as acid leaching and alkali fusion were investigated for the decomposition of the samples and for the separation of Ca and Sr from the matrix. Hydroxide and carbonate precipitation was used to separate Ca and Sr from the matrix elements as well as from each other. The chemical yields of the separation procedures for 41Ca and 90Sr are 80–90% and the decontamination factors for all interfering radionuclides are more than 104. The detection limits of the analytical method for 41Ca and 90Sr are 0.020 and 0.015 Bq, respectively. The methods developed here were used in the determination of 41Ca in heavy concrete from two concrete cores in the Danish research reactor DR-2.