Progress report and technology status development of an EG and G Berthold LB-150 alpha/beta particulate monitor for use on the East Tennessee Technology Park Toxic Substances Control Act Incinerator

The purpose of this project was to modify and evaluate a commercially available EG and G Berthold LB-150 alpha-beta radionuclide particulate monitor for the high-temperature and moisture-saturation conditions of the East Tennessee Technology Park (formerly K-25 Site) Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Incinerator stack. The monitor was originally outfitted for operation at gas temperatures of 150 F on the defunct Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) controlled air incinerator, and the objective was to widen its operating envelope. A laboratory apparatus was constructed that simulated the effects of water-saturated air at the TSCA Incinerator stack-gas temperatures, 183 F. An instrumented set of heat exchangers was constructed to then condition the gas so that the radionuclide monitor could be operated without condensation. Data were collected under the conditions of the elevated temperatures and humidities and are reported herein, and design considerations of the apparatus are provided. The heat exchangers and humidification equipment performed as designed, the Mylar film held, and the instrument suffered no ill effects. However, for reasons as yet undetermined, the sensitivity of the radionuclide detection diminishes as the gas temperature is elevated, whether the gas is humidified or not. The manufacturer has had no experience with (a) the operation of the monitor under these conditions and (b) any commercial market that might exist for an instrument that operates under these conditions. The monitor was not installed into the radiologically contaminated environment of the TSCA Incinerator stack pending resolution of this technical issue