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Remini, W.C.; Case, F.N.; Haff, K.W.; Tiegs, S.M.
USDOE Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs, Washington, DC; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)1983
USDOE Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs, Washington, DC; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)1983
AbstractAbstract
[en] The radionuclides, krypton-85 and tritium, both of which are gases under ordinary conditions, are used in many applications in industries and by the military forces. Krypton-85 is produced during the fissioning of uranium and is released during the dissolution of spent-fuel elements. It is a chemically inert gas that emits 0.695-MeV beta rays and a small yield of 0.54-MeV gammas over a half life of 10.3 years. Much of the 85Kr currently produced is released to the atmosphere; however, large-scale reprocessing of fuel will require collection of the gas and storage as a waste product. An alternative to storage is utilization, and since the chemical and radiation characteristics of 85Kr make this radionuclide a relatively low hazard from the standpoint of contamination and biological significance, a number of uses have been developed. Tritium is produced as a byproduct of the nuclear-weapons program, and it has a half life of 12.33 years. It has a 0.01861-MeV beta emission and no gamma emission. The absence of a gamma-ray energy eliminates the need for external shielding of the devices utilizing tritium, thus making them easily transportable. Many of the applications require only small quantities of 85Kr or tritium; however, these uses are important to the technology base of the nation. A significant development that has the potential for beneficial utilization of large quantities of 85Kr and of tritium involves their use in the production of low-level lighting devices. Since these lights are free from external fuel supplies, have a long half life (> 10 years), are maintenance-free, reliable, and easily deployed, both military and civilian airfield-lighting applications are being studied
Primary Subject
Source
1983; 5 p; Waste management conference; Tucson, AZ (USA); 27 Feb - 3 Mar 1983; Available from NTIS, PC A02/MF A01 as DE83009837
Record Type
Report
Literature Type
Conference
Report Number
Country of publication
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES, BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES, DOCUMENT TYPES, EVEN-ODD NUCLEI, HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES, HYDROGEN ISOTOPES, INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI, ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES, ISOTOPES, KRYPTON ISOTOPES, LIGHT NUCLEI, MATERIALS TESTING, MEASURING INSTRUMENTS, NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING, NUCLEI, ODD-EVEN NUCLEI, RADIOISOTOPES, TESTING, YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
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