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IRMM actions in IDEA

Mikael Hult

Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM)Geel, Belgium

http://www.irmm.jrc.be http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int

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Main good news

• 37.5 kg of enriched Ge (86% 76Ge) has been transported from Siberia (Krasnoyarsk) to HADES (in the form of GeO2 powder)

• Transport with special iron transport container reducing cosmogenic activation a factor 20

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• Investigation into underground production of Ge

• Who are we?

• Co-ordination of underground storage (Ge, Cu)

• Radiopurity measurements for GERDA

• Other issues

HADES

; sandwich

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The EU InstitutionsCourt of Auditors

JRC can apply for funding from DG RTD like any other institution. The only restriction is that JRC persons are not allowed to co-ordinate indirect actions

The Council of Ministers

Committee of the Regions

Court of Justice

The European Commission(the ‘College’ of Commissioners)

Economic and Social Committee

SG RELEX ENTR ENV SANCO JRC…. ...

IHCP

... ... ... RTD

IRMMIPSC …..IPTS

…. ......

Directorates General: the “Commission services”

JRC Institutes:

European Parliament

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Structure of the DG-JRC

IRMM – Geel, Belgium- Institute for Reference Materials and MeasurementsStaff: 250

IE – Petten, The Netherlands- Institute for EnergyStaff: 180

ITU – Karlsruhe, Germany - Institute for Transuranium elementsStaff: 250

IPSC - IHCP - IES – Ispra, Italy - Institute for the Protection and the Security of the Citizen - Institute for Health and Consumer Protection - Institute for Environment and Sustainability Staff: 350, 250, 370

IPTS – Seville, Spain- Institute for Prospective Technological StudiesStaff: 100

7 Institutes in 5 Member States

Total staff: ~ 2200 people

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Personnel involved in ILIAS activities - status 1st half of 2006

• Uwe Wätjen (D), Sector Head Radionuclide Metrology, in EUROMET Technical Committee Ionising Radiation, CCRI Section II

• Mikael Hult (S), Group leader low-level measurements, co-ordinator of CELLAR,

• Gerd Marissens (B), Chief technician

• Joël Gasparro (F), Post doc. Fellow

• Patric Lindahl (S), Postdoc

• Elisabeth Wieslander (S) PhD student

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Olen – Geel – Mol - Dessel

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Canberra Semiconductor

Umicore

SCK•CEN + VITO (+ HADES)

5 km

IRMM

BR1 (700 kW) + BR2 (10 MW)

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Nearby facilities

• Canberra Semiconductor – for HPGe detector assemblies

• Umicore – for Ge crystal growth

• IRMM – for radioactivity measurements (low-level or high accuracy)

• IRMM – other facilities: LINAC, Van de Graaff, reference facilities in analytical chemistry etc.

• SCK – HADES, 2 research reactors and analytical facilities

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Transport times

• Canberra – IRMM (20-30 minutes)

• Umicore – IRMM (20-30 minutes)

• IRMM – HADES (10-15 minutes)

• Canberra/Umicore – HADES (~45 minutes)

60Co: ~5 (kg[76Ge] day)-1 , Half-life: 5.27 years

68Ge: ~1 (kg[natGe] day)-1 , Half-life: 271 daysSaturation: 400 kg-1

Estimated production rates

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Radionuclide metrology - Facilities

• IRMM operates 7 HPGe-detectors for ultra-low level -spectrometry in the HADES underground laboratory (-225 m) at SCK•CEN

• Laboratories with a large number of different primary and secondary standardisation instruments

• Source preparation laboratories, including chemical facilities

• Mass determinations traceable to the IRMM standard of 1 kg which is directly traceable to the BIPM 1 kg standard, the SI unit

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HADES = High Activity Disposal Experimental SiteHADES = High Activity Disposal Experimental Site

Overburden:~ 175 m sand~ 50 m clay

Location ofIRMM’s ULGS

setupFirst shaftSecond shaftConstructed 1999

Test driftConnecting galleryConstructed 2003

PRACLAY gallery

223

m

Overburden:~ 175 m sand~ 50 m clay

Location ofIRMM’s ULGS

setupFirst shaftSecond shaftConstructed 1999

Test driftConnecting galleryConstructed 2003

PRACLAY gallery

223

m

HADES = High Activity Disposal Experimental SiteHADES = High Activity Disposal Experimental Site

Located at SCK•CEN, Mol, Belgium, operated by EURIDICE

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Ge-production (i)

1) Raw material: residue from e.g. Zn-ore with 3-5% Ge

2) Reduction of Ge-oxide

3) Zone-refinement

repeat4) Czochralski growth

Measurements

Resistivity

Hall

DLTS

Resistivity measurement

Zn-plant Balen?

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Ge-production (ii)Reduction of Ge-oxide

Needs a powerful furnace. A bit difficult to put underground but possible

Zone-refinement

12-13 days work (24/24)=> > 1 months without shift work

Relatively easy to put underground (“low power”, some gas)

Czochralski growth

2-3 days

Relatively easy to place underground

(small “low power”, some gas)

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Underground production

• Main problem related to cost and safety

• The “pulling” achieves a high degree of purification. Possible to place only pulling step underground.

• Pulling needs clean room => expensive

• Conclusion (for the moment) optimise (=minimise) transport time.

• Technical report (Schönert)

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Co-ordination of underground storage

• Since 2004: 15 transports to HADES

• For the moment: 3 boxes of enriched Ge, 1 box of Ge natural composition, 1 detector in process of being manufactured

• 12 transports carried out “immediately”, 3 transports the following day.

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Main activation problems with Ge

• 68Ge and 60Co (minor problems 57Co, 65Zn)

• 68Ge: 12·10-3 counts/(keV kg y) 180 days exposure after enrichment + 180 days underground storage

• 60Co: 2.5·10-3 counts/(keV kg y) 30 days exposure after crystal growth

• Main goal for GERDA performance < 1·10-3 counts/(keV kg y) (Phase II)

• We believe we can cut the exposure time significantly by storage in HADES

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Radiopurity measurements for GERDA

• Cu/P pellets for GERDA tank (cleaned + non cleaned)

• Glass for PM-tube necks

• Kapton foil (cleaned / not cleaned)

• Kapton foil with copper (cleaned / not cleaned)

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Why is this a current issue?

Development in germanium detector technology

14 ISST Nova Gorica, 2005

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The first Ge(Li)

3 crystals in one cryostat

The first HPGePlanar

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