Re: Decommissioning problem

["Greg Krause" <greg_krause@operations.und.nodak.edu>]

Just some clarifications on my first post:

Yes, gamma spec would be helpful in identifying the contaminant, but this being a small school we have only one HpGe device, controlled by the physics department and not currently cooled down due to summer vacation.  So I can go that route later, just wondering if anyone's seen anything like this before. (maybe I'm hoping for too much but I wanted to complete this project prior ot school's start and didn't really expect a problem like this.)

The fuel has been gone for over a year so if the contamination is from the radon daughters, its not new stuff, only long lived remnants.  However, for 20 years the Uranium and the  Al components were in a room with more than a 700 pCi/l Rn concentration.

Finally, is there any likelihood that some aluminum oxides produce chemiluminescence with some scint fluids, such that once the Al oxide is washed off subsequent wipe tests don't luminesce?

Greg Krause, P.E.
Director, Radiation  & Chemical Safety
University of North Dakota
701-777-3341
greg_krause@operations.und.nodak.edu

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