An Update: Automated Radionuclide Separation System for Field Laboratory and Fixed Laboratory Use

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An Update Automated Radionuclide Separation
System for Field Laboratory and Fixed Laboratory
Use
Every Airman a Force Multiplier
31 OCT 08

• C. Martin Johnson, Jr.
• USAFSAM/OEHHL
• and
• Dr. James T. Harvey
• NorthStar Engineered
• Technologies, LLC

v3 28 Jan 08 - nam
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Overview

• Mission Statement
• Current Capability
• Gap
• How do we overcome the gaps?
• The ARS2
• QUESTIONS?

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Technical Overview
Air Force Radiation Assessment Team Mission
Statement

• Provide timely, high-quality health physics
  recommendations to Incident Commanders to enable
  decision superiority to ensure mission
  accomplishment while minimizing adverse
  consequences.

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Technical Overview
Current Capability

• The Air Force Radiation Assessment Team (AFRAT)
  field laboratory is only capable of determining
  gross alpha/beta results, gamma spectrometry
  results, and qualitative alpha spectrometry.
• The Air Forces fixed laboratory has the
  capability for high quality alpha, beta and gamma
  analyses.

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Technical Overview
Gaps

• The AFRAT field laboratory is unable to rapidly
  or accurately quantify alpha and pure beta
  emitting radionuclide specific information to the
  Incident Commander to determine the risk and
  health effects from an incident.
• The laboratory is lacking in rapid (less than
  8-hours) methods radionuclide separation
  techniques and manpower in case of an incident.

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Technical Overview
How Do We Overcome the Gaps?
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Technical Overview
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Technical Overview
How Do We Overcome the Gaps? (Continued)

• The ARS2 will give the Air Force field laboratory
  state of the art capability to meet and exceed
  the required mission statement in a timely
  manner.
• The ARS2 will give the Air Force fixed laboratory
  supplemental manpower when AFRAT is deployed
  during an incident. Manpower resource
  availability is critical in incident response.
  Sample processing must be as hands free as
  possible.

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Technical Overview
The ARS2
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Technical Overview
The ARS2

• Last year NorthStar presented a paper about their
  automated radionuclide separation system (ARS2)
  used in the nuclear medicine.
• The ARS2 has been used in medical isotope
  separations/purification for medical treatments
  and diagnostics and is FDA approved.
• In the medical use of this instrument it is for
  single radioisotope purification of high activity
  radioisotopes.

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Technical Overview
The ARS2 (Continued)

• After last years presentation the Air Force
  commenced to establish a RD relationship to
  develop a system to place in the AFRAT mobile
  laboratory.
• The ARS2 will help give the AFRAT mobile
  laboratory rapid sample processing and separation
  chemistry capabilities.
• The ARS2 will provide radiochemistry expertise in
  the field with minimal manpower and training.
• Northstar Engineered Technologies, LLC has
  performed some preliminary work with two and
  three column separations. The following slides
  show the results of the preliminary development.

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Technical Overview

• This slide shows the separation of U, Pu, and Am
  using a two column system which accomplishes a
  complete separation in 10 to 15 minutes.

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Technical Overview

• The second slide shows the separation of Sr, Tc,
  U, Pu, and Am using a two column method. This
  method shows good separation of the alpha
  emitters (U, Pu, and Am), but the beta emitters
  (Sr and Tc) separation was poor (about 50
  separation).

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Technical Overview

• The third slide shows the separation of Sr, Tc,
  U, Pu, and Am using a three column method. This
  method shows a very good separation of all five
  radionuclides.

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Technical Overview
USAF Method (Tc Pu Th U Am Sr) 2 mL Cartridges
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Technical Overview
USAF Method (Tc Pu Th U Am Sr) 1 mL Cartridges
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Technical Overview
The ARS2 (Continued)

• The two column methods take approximately 15
  minutes per analysis using the small columns
  (0.5ml).
• The three column method shown used large columns
  (2ml) and takes approximately 35 minutes for the
  analysis. One of the development goals is to get
  the time down to 10 to 15 minutes per sample
  analysis.
• The ARS2 will allow quick and easy chemical
  separation of radioisotopes in the field allowing
  the field laboratory to provide quantitative
  alpha and beta analyses for strontium,
  technetium, thorium, uranium, plutonium, and
  americium from one sample digestion.
• The ARS2 could be used to perform emergency
  bioassay samples for the above isotopes plus with
  module column modifications 210Polonium or other
  radionuclides could be easily analyzed in the
  field or laboratory quickly.

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Technical Overview
The ARS2 (Continued)

• In the laboratory this automated system will aid
  in performing emergency samples with minimal
  support in far less time than most separation
  chemistry methods already developed.
• In a national emergency, sample load requirements
  will be significantly higher than normal. The
  ARS2 will help the reach back laboratory be able
  to keep laboratory capabilities to a high
  standard while military members of the laboratory
  are deployed with the AFRAT team.
• Other radionuclide combinations could be
  performed after method development to be used for
  more specific analyses after the initial sample
  screen analysis.

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Technical Overview
The ARS2 (Continued)

• The ARS2 can be operated or programmed remotely
  via Remote Desktop by qualified personnel.
• The ARS2 can be runoff a battery via UPS or DC to
  AC power converter.
• The ARS2 provides detailed logging of all process
  steps.
• Protocols can only be changed or manipulated by a
  designated Administrator.

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Technical Overview
QUESTIONS?