Watts Bar does not either,
I totally agree with Jeff - I have tried to get my Fleet to do this, everyone says sample prep is too hard. My passion for health physics would love to take on the challenge. I think I remember a President that said "we do these things not because they are easy rather because they are hard" Raymond Rouse From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Friday, May 04, 2012 3:11 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Powernet: Benchmark: Alpha Spec Dresden does not use alpha spectroscopy. My opinion only.... The ability to observe a spectra for anomalies in the region of interest goes a long way in convincing stake holders you have a robust program and are doing everything in you power to look for transuranics despite the presence of radon product daughters. The commercially available products that automatically compensate for radon progeny get you within chipping/putting distance but often do not provide the manner of relief we all desire. For example, the raw alpha count may indicate 20 DAC if it is all assumed to be Am-241. The "striped" analysis may reduce this down to 1 DAC or so. Although the result is much closer to reality, it does not provide us relief from posting and investigating etc., etc., etc... To make the matter worse, sometimes the "striped" results will show a negative number which frequently results in both the technicians and outside observers being skeptical of the results. With spectroscopy, you can rely on professional judgment but the chart is something both technicians and regulators can relate to. Below is a scatter plot of an air sample collected on a PTFE filter. It was counted about 1.5 hours after being collected. A scatter plot is worth a thousand words!!! Jeffrey J. Cady, MS, CHP, RRPT Mgr RP Technical Support Exelon Nuclear Dresden Station 6500 North Dresden Road Morris, IL 60450-9765 Phone: (815) 416-2719 [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> ________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Holmes, Stephen J:(Constellation) Sent: Friday, May 04, 2012 11:41 AM To: '[email protected]' Subject: Powernet: Benchmark: Alpha Spec At Ginna, we are evaluating purchasing Alpha Spec equipment (such as the Canberra Alpha Analyst with Alpha Apex software). Part of our justification for this expense would be to reduce our reliance on independent laboratories for performing alpha characterization (i.e. per the EPRI alpha monitoring guidelines). We currently have Ludlum 3030Ps and MGPI ABPMs which use alpha spec in a limited manner to perform radon rejection, but no true alpha spectroscopy equipment. We would like to know what the rest of the industry is doing; any experience, comments, or feedback are appreciated. Do you have Alpha Spec capabilities at your facility? If so, what equipment do you use? What do you use the equipment for (e.g. radon rejection or a quantitative alpha spectrum of individual nuclides)? If using for alpha spectrum analysis, what energy resolution can you achieve? What type of sample preparation is required? Any other equipment strengths/limitations or lessons learned you would like to share? Thanks, -Steve Stephen J Holmes, PE Sr. Plant Health Physicist, CENG-RE Ginna NPP [email protected] 585-771-3577; 585-545-1661 (cell) >>> This e-mail and any attachments are confidential, may contain legal, professional or other privileged information, and are intended solely for the addressee. If you are not the intended recipient, do not use the information in this e-mail in any way, delete this e-mail and notify the sender. -IP2 ************************************************** This e-mail and any of its attachments may contain Exelon Corporation proprietary information, which is privileged, confidential, or subject to copyright belonging to the Exelon Corporation family of Companies. This e-mail is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying, or action taken in relation to the contents of and attachments to this e-mail is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copy of this e-mail and any printout. Thank You. **************************************************
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