Development of a radiochemical sensor. Part I: Feasibility study Original Research Article

The evolution of nuclear activities and criteria for radiation protection have led to a continuous increase in measures to monitor and control the environment and therefore in the number of determinations required for such purposes. Classical analytical procedures are time-consuming, labor-intense and generate a large amount of waste. The alternative use of sensors for such determinations has seen very limited development. The present study focuses on the evaluation of the behavior of a prototype radiochemical sensor for liquid effluents. The sensor is based on a receptor made of a plastic scintillator and is capable of continuous, on-time and accurate remote quantification of the activity of alpha, beta and beta–gamma emitters. Low-level active solutions of 90Sr/90Y, 238Pu, 134Cs and 60Co in matrices of groundwater, seawater and drinking water were quantified with prediction errors lower than 10% in most cases. The study also yields information about light generation and transmission and transductor configuration that will be useful in the design of future versions of this sensor.