KJM5911 Lab Exercise 2 - Radionuclide Generators and Half Life
From mn/safe/nukwik
Learning Goals
- Understand mother-daughter relations and radioactive equilibrium
- Understand how a radio-nuclide generator works and how it is used
- Understand how radioactivity is "growing in"
- Separate uranium and thorium using a cation-exchanger
- Training in handling radioactive material and safety procedures
- Understand the principle of neutron activation
- Deconvolute a decay curve with two components
Theory
- Principle Behind Mother-Daughter Relationship
- Cation-exchange Column for Th
- Neutron activation of Ag with a Pu/Be n-source
Experimental Procedure
- Preparing solutions
- Making the 234mPa radionuklide generator
- How to measure the half life of 234mPa (with NaI-detector and MCA)
- Determining the half life of 234mPa
- Neutron Activation of Ag
- How to Measure the Decay of n-activated Silver
- Analyzing a Two-componet Decay Curve
- Analyzing the Production Curve for n-activation of Ag
Safety Aspects
- Chemical safety - nothing particulary dangerous, 2-M HCl and 0.1-M AgNO3 should of course be handled according to normal safety precations. DOWEX residues and waste should be collected and handled according to normal procedures.
- Rad. safety - very small amounts of uranyl nitrate is used, so there is no big healt concern with respect to this source. However, the Pu/Be source is quite strong (about 107 n/s) and should only be handled by your supervisor. Always keep as far away as possible from this source.
- Waste handling. All radioactive waste should be collected, logged and deposited in the dedicated rad. waste accumulation are. Remember to collect the DOWEX from the ion-exchange collumns in separate containers as it is contaminated with 24-day 234Th (will be none-radioactive after one year).