Comparison of quench correction methods for 90Sr/90Y assessment in waters after nuclear incident

Abstract

One important matter of environmental radioactivity monitoring is the accuracy and precision of the ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y measurement techniques. When Cherenkov counting is carried out in coloured waters, the reduction in detection efficiency can cause significant errors in the obtained results. Two colour quench correction methods were considered in this study: the conventional SCR (Sample Channels Ratio) technique and the Muonic peak method. The latter indicates the quench level via the position of the muonic peak in the cosmic background spectrum. So far, there have been no reports about the Muonic peak method's implementation in Cherenkov counting of ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y in waters. The performance, limitations, advantages, and drawbacks of two methods have been compared based on the analysis of coloured spiked test samples. The Muonic peak method provided similar accuracy as the SCR method in test samples. The adequacy and effectiveness of both techniques have been confirmed during ⁹⁰Sr routine monitoring in the event of a nuclear emergency or radioactive leakage from nuclear facilities.