Re: Pu/Be Source Service Life.

[Leo Bobek <bobek@WPI.EDU>]

On Fri, 6 Jan 1995 EFJ@asbhr.byu.edu wrote:

> Does anyone know if the plutonium-beryllium neutron sources produced
> in the late fifties and early sixties were engineered for a specific
> service life?
> 

I checked our records for our Pu-Be source (c. 1958) used in our reactor.  
There is no indication of an estimated service life.  I assume you refer to 
the assembly container and not the Pu-Be reaction.  In actuality, the 
neutron emmission rate for these sources will increase over time do to the 
presence of trace quantities of Pu-241 which decays (T 1/2 = 13yr) to Am-241.

Included with our source data was a reference you may find usefull if you 
can find it: R. E. Tate "Pu-Be Neutron Sources, Their Fabrication and 
Yield", Proceedings of 2nd UN International Conference on Peaceful Uses of 
Atomic Energy, XIV, 427 (1958).

L. Bobek,
Director WPI Reactor