Development and performance testing of an automatic measurement system for gross α and β in water bodies
10.13491/j.issn.1004-714X.2026.01.006
- VernacularTitle:水体总α总β自动测量系统研制及性能测试
- Author:
Xia WANG
1
;
Kai GU
1
;
Fuping WEN
1
;
Xutao XU
1
Author Information
1. China Academy of Atomic Energy Sciences, Beijing 102413, China.
- Publication Type:OriginalArticles
- Keywords:
Thick source method;
microwave evaporation-ashing;
automatic measurement;
gross α and gross β activity concentrations in water body;
environmental monitoring
- From:
Chinese Journal of Radiological Health
2026;35(1):29-35
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To develop an automated system for the determination of gross α and gross β activity concentrations in water, and to support the rapid and automated monitoring of environmental water bodies. Methods Based on the thick source method, microwave evaporation-ashing was used to replace conventional electric hotplate heating. A grinder and a sample-spreading device were designed and operated via a robotic arm, achieving fully automated pretreatment, sample preparation, and measurement. Results Spike recovery tests demonstrated that the recovery rates were 95.7%-102.5% for gross α and 97.2%-108.1% for gross β. The relative standard deviations were 4.1%-7.8% for gross α and 5.9%-7.7% for gross β. Compared with manual laboratory methods, the average relative errors were 2.17%-6.25% for gross α and 4.17%-6.90% for gross β. The sample preparation time was reduced from an average of 72 hours to less than 5 hours, representing an efficiency improvement of over 90%. Conclusion The developed system enables rapid, accurate, and fully automated monitoring of gross α/β radioactivity, making it suitable for online monitoring of environmental water bodies. It can provide timely data on the radiological indicators of water bodies for environmental protection and water resource management authorities.
