Development of a method for studying ~(241)Pu/~(241)Am activity ratio in the soil of the main Semipalatinsk test site areas

摘要

The methodology for determination of Pu-241 in soils of the main test sites of the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) has been developed. The results of Am-241 and Pu-241 activity determination in soil samples sampled at the main testing sites of the STS are presented. Pu-241/Am-241 activity ratio is calculated. In most cases, on local sites, Pu-241/Am-241 activity ratio is in a rather narrow range, which makes it possible to estimate Pu-241 activity based on the results of Am-241 gamma-spectrometric analysis. The accuracy of Pu-241 activity estimation using this method will be about 50%, which is quite enough in most cases.