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Characterization of 226Ra activity in low-level slag reference standards

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Abstract

Within the EURAMET European Metrology Research Programme project IND04 named MetroMetal, several different reference standards have been developed for the metallurgical industry. This paper describes the characterisation of low-levels of 226Ra in samples of slag. The activity was determined through spiking with a known amount of solution containing 226Ra to a previously characterised slag material. The measurements were performed at both 225 m underground and aboveground. The total (spiked + natural) massic activity of 226Ra obtained from the gamma-ray spectrometry measurements was (126.3 ± 5.6) Bq/kg. A comparison of the different measurements and studies of the distribution of radon-daughters in the samples is presented.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by an Early Stage Researcher Mobility Grant (ESRMG) from the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) within the EURAMET-EMRP Joint Research Project IND04-MetroMetal. The EMRP is jointly funded by the EMRP participating countries within EURAMET and the European Union. Thanks are due to JRC-IRMM for collaboration and allowing the ESRMG researcher stay. Special thanks to JRC-IRMM staff, particularly to G. Marissens and H. Stroh, for their technical support with measurements at the underground laboratory HADES. Also thanks to E. García-Toraño and V. Peyrés for their help during this work, and also to S. Pommé for his suggestions for this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Metrología de Radiaciones Ionizantes (LMRI), Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Av. Complutense 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Belén Caro Marroyo, Marcos Mejuto Mendieta & María T. Crespo Vázquez

  2. European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (JRC-IRMM), Retieseweg 111, 2440, Geel, Belgium

    Faidra Tzika, Mikael Hult & Guillaume Lutter

Authors
  1. Belén Caro Marroyo
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  2. Faidra Tzika
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  3. Mikael Hult
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  4. Guillaume Lutter
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  5. Marcos Mejuto Mendieta
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  6. María T. Crespo Vázquez
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Correspondence to Belén Caro Marroyo.

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Caro Marroyo, B., Tzika, F., Hult, M. et al. Characterization of 226Ra activity in low-level slag reference standards. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 304, 883–888 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-014-3851-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-014-3851-1

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