ECE Laboratory in the Vinca institute - its basic characteristics and fundamentals of electrochemical etching on polycarbonate

This paper deals with the introductory aspects of the Electrochemical Etching Laboratory installed at the Vinca Institute in the year 2003. The main purpose of the laboratory is its field application for radon and thoron large-scale survey using passive radon/thron UFO type detectors. Since the etching techniques together with the laboratory equipment were transferred from the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba, Japan., it was necessary for both etching conditions to be confirmed and to be checked up, i.e., bulk etching speeds of chemical etching and electrochemical etching in the VINCA Electrochemical Etching Laboratry itself. Beside this initial step, other concerns were taken into consideration in this preliminary experimental phase such as the following: the measurable energy range of the polycarbonate film, background etch pit density of the film and its standard deviation and reproducibility of the response to alpha particles for different sets of etching

Thoron, radon and air ions spatial distribution in indoor air

Spatial distribution of radioactive gasses thoron (Tn) and radon (Rn) in indoor air of 9 houses mostly during winter period of 2013 has been studied. According to properties of alpha decay of both elements, air ionization was also measured. Simultaneous continual measurements using three Rn/Tn and three air-ion active instruments deployed on to three different distances from the wall surface have shown various outcomes. It has turned out that Tn and air ions concentrations decrease with the distance increase, while Rn remained uniformly distributed. Exponential fittings function for Tn variation with distance was used for the diffusion length and constant as well as the exhalation rate determination. The obtained values were similar with experimental data reported in the literature. Concentrations of air ions were found to be in relation with Rn and obvious, but to a lesser extent, with Tn

1+/N+ method: numerical simulation studies and experimental measurements on the SPIRAL1 ECR Charge Breeder

International audienceIn the framework of the SPIRAL1 (SP1) facility, the R&D of charge breeding techniqueis of primary interest for optimizing the yields of radioactive ion beams (RIBs). This techniqueinvolves the transformation of mono-charged ion beams into multi-charged ion beams by operatingan SPIRAL1 Electron Cyclotron Resonance charge breeder (CB). During the SPIRAL1 commissioning, experimental studies have been performed in order to understand the transport of the beamthrough the SP1 CB with and without ECR plasma. Numerical simulations including ion optics and some ECR plasma features have been developed to evaluate ion losses during the ion transport through the SP1 CB with and without a simplified model of the ECR plasma

First steps towards national radon action plan in Serbia

Radon problem has a special attention in many countries in the world and the most of them have established national radon programmes. The radon issues in Serbia have not been approached in a systematic and organized way. Currently, there are many research groups and institutions working in radon field, and it is a good basis to integrate all these activities into a comprehensive national programme to define the strategic objectives and action plan for the next few years. Also, Serbia as a candidate for membership in the EU is obliged to harmonize its legislation, including the field of radiation protection in which the radon issues has an important role. In this report, a brief history of radon research, present status and plans for the future activity on radon issues in Serbia are presented. Regarding the long-term plans, the establishment and implementation of the Radon Action Plan with the primary goal of raising awareness about the harmful effects of public exposure to radon and implementing a set of measures for its reduction. In that sense, the synergy between the national, regional and local organizations responsible for public health and radiation protection must be achieved

Uranium and radium in water samples around the Nikola Tesla B lignite-fired power plant - Obrenovac, Serbia

This paper deals with the analysis of natural radionuclide content in 23 water samples collected in the vicinity of the Nikola Tesla B thermal power plant, Serbia. All samples were analyzed for (226)Ra and uranium isotopes ((238)U, (234)U) activity using radiochemical methods and alpha spectrometry. Obtained results show that the activity concentrations for uranium and radium in the water around the thermal power plant are low when compared to those from areas across Serbia with their enhanced natural uranium and radium content. No important radiological hazard related to uranium and radium activity stored in heap was found