Radiation Safety
Alpha Spectrometry (Uranium)
An applied programme in measuring uranium isotopes and polonium-210 in water and environmental samples by alpha spectrometry: sample preparation and digestion, chemical separation by ion exchange and co-precipitation, electrodeposition, operating and calibrating the spectrometer, calculating activity, uncertainty and detection limits, and quality control.
Overview
About the programme
Duration
5 days
Training hours
25 hours
Delivery
In the organisation’s laboratory
Language
Arabic or English
Objectives
Training outcomes
- Understand the properties of alpha particles and their interaction with matter, and the strengths and limits of alpha spectrometry.
- Understand the occurrence, distribution, uses and radiological and chemical hazards of uranium.
- Prepare samples by drying, filtration, ashing and digestion, and add a tracer to calculate chemical recovery.
- Separate uranium by ion exchange and co-precipitation, and prepare the source by electrodeposition.
- Operate the alpha spectrometry system and measure detector efficiency and background.
- Calculate activity, isotope ratios, uncertainty and detection limits, and apply quality control.
Content
What the programme covers
Day 1: foundations and uranium
- Radioactivity, its natural and artificial sources and their distribution.
- Sources of alpha particles, their properties and their interaction with matter.
- Uranium: occurrence in rocks and groundwater, the isotopes uranium-238, uranium-234 and uranium-235, and disequilibrium between uranium-234 and uranium-238 in water.
- Alpha spectrometry: its characteristics, strengths and limits, and methods for collecting and preserving samples.
Day 2: sample preparation and chemical separation
- Sample preparation: drying, filtration, ashing and digestion.
- Isotopic tracers: uranium-232 for uranium and polonium-209 for polonium.
- Chemical separation of alpha emitters: types of ion exchangers, and distribution coefficient (Kd) curves and their use.
- Practical: preparing the standard sample.
Day 3: source preparation and the system
- Practical: co-precipitation and ion exchange separation.
- Practical: electrodeposition onto stainless steel discs.
- Spontaneous deposition of polonium-210 onto silver discs.
- The alpha spectrometry system: silicon detector, vacuum chamber and electronics, and operating the system and its software.
Day 4: efficiency and background
- Practical: measuring detector efficiency with a standard alpha source.
- Measuring background, and recoil contamination of counting chambers.
- Practical: building a calculation spreadsheet.
Day 5: calculations and quality
- Practical: calculating activity, isotope ratios and chemical recovery.
- Calculating uncertainty and detection limits.
- Problems in alpha measurements and their solutions: source thickness, and peak broadening and overlap.
- Quality control, proficiency testing, ISO/IEC 17025 requirements, and laboratory health and safety, followed by the assessment.
Who it is for
Target audience
Radiochemists and technicians in water and environmental laboratories, managers of radioactivity measurement laboratories, and others interested in measuring uranium and alpha emitters in water and environmental samples.
Method
Delivery method
Theory and practice. The practical part is carried out in the organisation’s laboratory and needs an alpha spectrometer, an electrodeposition setup, chemical separation equipment, tracers and standard sources, and a fume cupboard; these are agreed with the organisation before delivery. Delivered in Arabic or English.
Questions
FAQ
Does the programme cover polonium-210?
Yes. It covers its spontaneous deposition onto silver discs and the use of polonium-209 as a tracer, alongside the uranium isotopes, and draws on standard methods such as ISO 13166 for uranium isotopes and ISO 13161 for polonium-210 in water.
What laboratory facilities does the practical work need?
An alpha spectrometer with silicon detectors and vacuum chambers, an electrodeposition setup, ion exchangers and chemical separation equipment, tracers and standard sources, and a fume cupboard at the organisation.
A programme tailored to your organisation
The duration and topics of the programme are adjusted to the organisation's needs, and it is delivered at its site, in a training hall arranged by the Center, or virtually.