[ RadSafe ] Can tritium produce bremsstrahlung?

[Rogers Brent]

The question posed was detect, not measure.  As Brian Rees pointed out
before (and i will paraphrase) if something happens 10^12 times per second
even low probability things will occur...  well that occurance would include
'detect'

So it's true, you couldn't use a detector with a pancake probe for
contamination control, but if you had a spill of 0.1% (37 GBq, 1 Ci) of your
inventory, you'd most certainly hear/see some clicks above background if you
surveyed it with that same instrument.

Brent Rogers
Manager Radiation Operations Unit
NSW Environment Protection Authority
Department of Environment and Conservation
*+61 2 9995 5986
*+61 2 9995 6603
* PO Box A290 Sydney South 1232



-----Original Message-----
From: Jean-Francois, Stephane [mailto:stephane_jeanfrancois at merck.com]
Sent: Wednesday, 22 February 2006 11:40 PM
To: 'JGinniver at aol.com'; stiegli1 at msu.edu
Cc: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: RE : [ RadSafe ] Can tritium produce bremsstrahlung?


Can you share the reputable sources that tells you that H-3 (in any amount!)
can be detected by a Beta pancake ? A Geiger counter (gas chamber
technology, this is what UI assume you are saying by "pancake") is very bad
for detecting X-rays, less then 1 % efficiency for pancakes if my memory
serves me well. So obviously "any amount of H-3" is a bit far fetch for a
pancake. I would not recommend AT ALL to use a pancake for tritium, beta
will not go through the window and Bremstrahlung will not be detected. Is
this a clear answer ?

Let's but it this way: I have a large tritium lab (37 TBq...oups, 1000 Ci)
here and I would be VERY HAPPY if I would be able to control contamination
with a pancake.  Please check your sources for info.

This is not a stupid question, hopefully MY ANSWER is not stupid either !

Regards,

Stéphane Jean-François, Eng., CHP
Manager, Environmental and Health Physics services
Merck Frosst Canada
514-428-8695
514-428-8670
stephane_jeanfrancois at merck.com
www.merckfrosst.com


-----Message d'origine-----
De : radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] De la part
de JGinniver at aol.com
Envoyé : Tuesday, February 21, 2006 5:35 PM
À : stiegli1 at msu.edu
Cc : radsafe at radlab.nl
Objet : Re: [ RadSafe ] Can tritium produce bremsstrahlung?


 
In a message dated 21/02/2006 21:25:10 GMT Standard Time, stiegli1 at msu.edu  writes:

Could  someone please tell me if a beta pancake is able to detect tritium in
any  amounts?  I have heard from reputable sources that it can.   Obviously
the beta is too weak to be detected so as I understand it, the  only way
would be to detect the bremsstrahlung radiation.  Is tritium  energetic
enough to produce bremsstrahlung?  Can anyone tell me how  much would be
needed?  I apologize if this is a stupid question but  nobody has totally
answered the question to my  satisfaction.



According to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory "Because this  
attenuation and/or stopping process produces a bremsstrahlung radiation, the

detection of this tritium bremsstrahlung appears to be the most direct and  advantageous way to monitor for STP [stable metal tritides] air
contamination.".  
They have a short article on the development of a CAM for  the measurement
of 
STPs at : _http://www.llnl.gov/es_and_h/hc_dept/spd/MetalTritides.html_ 
(http://www.llnl.gov/es_and_h/hc_dept/spd/MetalTritides.html) 
 
However it's not clear what measurement technology they are planing to use  for the detector.  Most modern CAM use Passively Implanted Planar  Silicon (PIPS) detectors.  I would have thought that if it was possible to  use a
pancake 
geiger to measure tritium bremsstrahlung, then things like  the 'Flat
Ferret' 
from Overhoff would not be in production.
 
Regards,
Julian 
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