Ratio of aerosol and gases of radioactive chlorine and particle size distribution of aerosol formed by high-energy proton irradiation

Yokoyama, Sumi; Sato, Kaoru   ; Manabe, Kentaro   ; Noguchi, Hiroshi; Kaneko, Hirohisa; Oki, Yuichi*; Iida, Takao*; Tanaka, Susumu*

To estimate internal doses due to the inhalation of radionuclides produced by the nuclear spallation of the air nuclei in high-energy proton accelerator facilities, the physicochemical properties of radionuclides are very important. However, there is not enough information of the properties for airborne radioactive chlorine formed from argon gas in the air of a high-energy proton irradiation field. Thus we have measured the ratio of aerosol and gases of radioactive chlorine which are formed by irradiating argon gas-added air with a 48 MeV proton beam. In addition, the particle size distribution and chemical form of non-radioactive aerosol were examined. It was found that Cl-38 and Cl-39 exist as aerosol, acidic and non-acidic gases. The percentages of Cl-38 and Cl-39 aerosols are more than 70%. In total radioactive chlorine gas, about 30% and 70% are acidic and non-acidic gases, respectively. The concentration of non-radioactive aerosol had a peak at an aerodynamic diameter of 20-30 nm in the early irradiation period. The particle size of non-radioactive aerosol shifted to larger with time. After 10 min, the aerosols grew very slowly and many of the non-radioactive aerosols were distributed widely under 200 nm. This suggests that the diameter of the radioactive chlorine aerosol formed by the attachment of the radioactive chlorine to the non-radioactive aerosol around a beam line of the accelerator is much smaller than the default value adopted in ICRP Publication 66.