Study on optimization of liquid scintillation counting during tritium measurements

Abstract

This study was intended toward the evaluation of the correlation between the quenching coefficients and the counting efficiency for the physical quenching phenomenon and the effects of the properties of the standard sources for quenching on the tritium radioactivity concentration in the process of analyzing the tritium radioactivity concentration. Accordingly, a series of standard sources for quenching was prepared using three types of vials with different properties used for correction by the quenching phenomenon; the calculated values of the counting efficiency of a series of standard sources for quenching, relative errors in the counting values, uncertainty, and properties of the quenching correction curve were evaluated. On the basis of the results, nine samples (three glass-vial-type samples, three plastic-vial-type samples, and three Teflon-vial-type samples) were obtained and evaluated by applying Parameter Groups 1, 2, and 3, for which the efficiency was calibrated using the WinQ program in accordance with the properties of a series of standard sources for quenching. The results of this study are expected to serve as an aid in accurately understanding the standard sources for quenching, counting, and analyzing environmental samples that are subject to counting and analysis. K: Scintillators, scintillation and light emission processes (solid, gas and liquid scintillators); Liquid detectors 1Corresponding author.