Mobile laboratory for near-real-time response to radioactive releases

A mobile laboratory is improving radiological emergency response and environmental monitoring capabilities at the Savannah River Plant. The laboratory can monitor low concentration levels of radionuclides and can rapidly confirm the location and radionuclide composition of a downwind plume. The analysis system developed for the laboratory includes radionuclide-specific monitors for tritium forms (HT and HTO), gamma-ray emitting aerosols, volatile radioiodine, transuranic aerosols, and noble gases. The monitors can detect radionuclides transported by the atmosphere to offsite population centers at concentrations well below those considered hazardous. An analyzer for a passive chemical tracer gas (sulfur hexafluoride, SF6) also is onboard. The diverse instruments, their good sensitivity and fast response, and the ability to operate while in transit, make this a unique laboratory