Design and quality assurance of indigenous plutonium air monitor sampling head

Representative air sampling plays a key role in the performance of continuous air monitors, especially those which rely on spectrometry to identify and quantify the release. Two factors which contribute in achieving this criterion are the location of monitors and the design of the filter head. Fixing the location of monitors is relatively easy by determining the site specific air flow patterns but without a good sampling head in place, the very purpose of the monitor is lost. An open face air sampling head is chosen for the Indigenous Plutonium in air Monitor (IPAM). This paper describes the design and quality assurance of the sampling head in the IPAM. (author)