NANODOT2: NANOMATERIALS FOR THE RADIOMETRIC DETECTION OF TRITIUM

NANODOT2：用于氚辐射检测的纳米材料

• 批准号: NE/N017293/1
• 负责人: Colin Boxall
• 金额: $ 12.66万
• 依托单位: Lancaster University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2016 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FN017293%2F1
• 关键词: NANODOT2; NANOMATERIALS; RADIOMETRIC; DETECTION; TRITIUM

This project, NANODOT2 (NANOmaterials for the radiometric Detection Of TriTium) aims to exploit recent advances in nanomaterials fabrication to develop a novel, prototype instrument for the analysis and characterisation of radioactive tritium in the terrestrial and marine environments around both operational nuclear facilities and those in decommissioning. Falling squarely within NERC's remit, NANODOT2 is a 12 month follow project from an earlier NERC-funded PhD and is a collaboration between Lancaster University and Hybrid Instruments, an SME specialising in the manufacture and marketing of advanced radiometric instrumentation.Tritium (T) is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen made during the routine operation of nuclear reactors. This can give rise to waterborne tritium in, inter alia, spent fuel (SF) cooling ponds and SF processing & waste treatment facilities - all potential sources of leakage to ground and beyond. Waterborne T is most commonly present in groundwater in the form of tritiated water, HTO. As T is an isotope of H, HTO behaves indistinguishably from H2O and so is highly mobile in the environment, its migration rate being identical to the velocity of groundwater due to the HTO/H2O equivalency. This also makes HTO highly mobile in human tissue, with associated health risks - the WHO limit for T in drinking water is <10 kBq/L. Additionally, despite often being present in extremely low quantity as a result of anthropogenic activities and easily dispersed, tritium is a concern to many industries i.e. sea fisheries often commanding extensive clean-up even where it is present at less than accepted statutory limits.Thus there are pressing health & safety and economic needs for fast, accurate & precise analysis of T in the terrestrial and marine environments around nuclear sites and in the wastes arising from their operation/decommissioning. Lancaster and Hybrid have been working in collaboration for >4 years to address these needs.Tritium decays with a soft beta emission making rapid radiometric detection in the field very difficult. However, data from a very successful NERC/RSC ACTF PhD studentship (award NE/H025650/1, hereafter NANODOT1) conducted at Lancaster with Hybrid, provide PROOF OF PRINCIPLE that, by electrolysis, T can be selectively & reversibly sequestered by nanoporous palladium (Pd) layers from HTO, the pre-concentrated T then being easily detected by liquid scintillation counting. A subsequent InnovateUK/Nuclear Decommissioning Authority funded feasibility study (award 131756, TRIBECA, TRItium detection By Electro-Chemically Assisted radiometrics), again conducted by Lancaster & Hybrid, demonstrated the possibility of coupling nanoporous Pd layers directly to solid scintillators. This provided a means by which T could be pre-concentrated at a scintillator surface prior to analysis by PMT-based solid scintillation counting, potentially yielding a novel radiometric instrument for T detection offering fast, interference free, in situ detection & monitoring. TRIBECA also demonstrated the market for such a tritium sensor and its underpinning technology, and led to a UK patent application GB2523732 "Tritium Measurement".NANODOT1 took this technology to (Technology Readiness Level) TRL3 (feasibility) whilst TRIBECA further advanced it to TRL5 (component development). NANODOT2 aims to take the technology to TRL6 (demonstration). Specifically, we aim to build a prototype instrument that, based on a novel Pd nanomaterial-modified solid scintillator for beta radiation detection, offers:-cheaper, faster, more sensitive & more reliable T detection than current technology; and -fast, accurate & precise measurement of waterborne T for environmental analysis and nuclear waste/process/effluent stream characterisation. Keywords: Tritium Detection; Environmental Radioactivity; Analytical Science; Environmental Monitoring; NanomaterialsStakeholders: Lancaster University, Hybrid Instruments

这个项目，NANODOT 2（纳米材料的放射性检测氚）的目的是利用纳米材料制造的最新进展，开发一种新的原型仪器，用于分析和表征在陆地和海洋环境中的放射性氚在运行的核设施和那些退役。NANODOT 2完全属于NERC的职权范围，是一个为期12个月的后续项目，由NERC早期资助的博士学位，是兰开斯特大学和Hybrid Instruments之间的合作项目，Hybrid Instruments是一家专门从事先进辐射测量仪器制造和营销的中小企业。氚（T）是氢的放射性同位素，在核反应堆的常规操作过程中产生。这可能会在乏燃料冷却池和乏燃料加工和废物处理设施等地方产生水载氚-所有这些都是泄漏到地面和其他地方的潜在来源。水载T最常以氚化水HTO的形式存在于地下水中。由于T是H的同位素，HTO的行为与H2O不相容，因此在环境中具有高度移动的性，由于HTO/H2O的等效性，其迁移速率与地下水的速度相同。这也使得HTO在人体组织中具有高度移动的性，并带来相关的健康风险--世界卫生组织对饮用水中T的限值为<10 kBq/L。此外，尽管由于人为活动，氚的含量通常极低，并且易于分散，但氚是许多行业的关注点，即海洋渔业，即使其含量低于公认的法定限值，也经常需要进行广泛的清理。因此，快速，对核设施周围陆地和海洋环境以及核设施运行/退役产生的废物中的T进行准确和精确的分析。兰开斯特和Hybrid已经合作了4年多来满足这些需求。氚衰变时会产生软β辐射，这使得现场的快速辐射检测非常困难。然而，在兰开斯特与Hybrid一起进行的非常成功的NERC/RSC ACTF博士研究生项目（授予NE/H 025650/1，以下简称NANODOT 1）的数据提供了原理证明，即通过电解，T可以通过HTO中的纳米多孔钯（Pd）层选择性且可逆地螯合，然后通过液体闪烁计数很容易地检测到预浓缩的T。随后的InnovateUK/核退役管理局资助的可行性研究（奖项131756，TRIBECA，电化学辅助放射性测量的氚检测），再次由兰开斯特& Hybrid进行，证明了将纳米多孔Pd层直接耦合到固体放电器的可能性。这提供了一种方法，通过该方法，T可以在通过基于PMT的固体闪烁计数进行分析之前在闪烁体表面处预浓缩，从而潜在地产生用于T检测的新型辐射测量仪器，其提供快速、无干扰、原位检测和监测。TRIBECA还展示了这种氚传感器及其基础技术的市场，并导致了英国专利申请GB 2523732“氚测量”。NANODOT 1将该技术提升到（技术准备水平）TRL 3（可行性），而TRIBECA进一步将其提升到TRL 5（组件开发）。NANODOT 2旨在将该技术带到TRL 6（演示）。具体来说，我们的目标是建立一个原型仪器，基于一种新的钯纳米材料改性的固体闪烁体的β辐射检测，提供：-更便宜，更快，更灵敏和更可靠的T检测比目前的技术;和-快速，准确和精确的测量水载T环境分析和核废物/过程/流出物流的特性。保留字：氚探测;环境放射性;分析科学;环境监测;纳米材料利益相关者：兰开斯特大学，混合仪器

项目成果

Tritium Detection By Electrochemical Assisted Radiometrics (TRIBECA)

电化学辅助辐射测量法 (TRIBECA) 检测氚

• 发表时间: 2019
• 作者: Boxall C