Cook Plant preoperational studies 1970 / John C. Ayers ... [et al.].

APPENDIX A

THE USE OF FIELD INSTRUMENTS IN THE OPERATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL
SURVEYS AROUND NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
by
Phillip Plato
Dale E. Gelskey
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Paper for oral presentation and publication in the Proceedings of the
Annual Meeting, Instrument Society of America, New York City, May 17, 1971.
ABSTRACT
The conventional procedure for following the movement of radioactive
wastes released into the environment by nuclear power plants involves collecting
samples, transporting the samples to the laboratory, preparing the samples
for counting, counting the samples for radioactivity, and analyzing the data.
A long lag time exists from the time the sample is collected until the
analysis is complete.
A device has been built which permits the quantitative identifications
of radionuclides present in undisturbed sediments of lakes and streams. The
device has been used on sediments around several nuclear power plants. Field
measurements also have been made on the soil of a dairy farm near a nuclear power
plant. The device permits environmental measurements to be made over larger
areas and with better sensitivity than is possible using conventional sampling
methods.