Guoqing Zhou

Atmospheric radioxenon isotope monitoring in Beijing after the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident.

A custom-made, on-site radioxenon sampling, separation and monitoring system was used to monitor atmospheric radioxenon concentrations in Beijing, released from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after the earthquake of 11 March 2011. The results show that (133)Xe concentrations ranged from 393 to 26 mBq/m(3) from 12 to 27 April 2011, and those of (131 m)Xe were 84 and 40 mBq/m(3) on 13 and 15 April 2011, respectively. The highest dose rate caused by (133)Xe was 2 × 10(-5)mSv/yr, and the average (133)Xe/(131 m)Xe ratio was 3.8 ± 0.4.

The determination of trace amounts of natural 133Xe in gas under high radon activity concentration levels

Radioxenon monitoring has become one of the major concerns in both international monitoring systems and on-site inspection. The most important technical specifications for radioxenon system are the radon removal coefficient and the minimum detectable activity concentration. We have developed one kind of on-site radioxenon sampling, separation and measurement system, and have tested it under high radon activity concentration levels. The result shows the natural (133)Xe background activity concentration, the (133)Xe/(222)Rn ratio and the radon removal coefficient to be in the ranges 0.73-1.6 mBq/m(3), (1.5-3.5) × 10(-8) and (2.3-57) × 10(-8), respectively.