Development of different analytical techniques to investigate radionuclides difficult to measure and to improve detection limits.

Abstract : The radioactive waste management is a challenging task faced by nuclear power countries and is a prime concern for the public and therefore for control authorities. In France, several nuclear facilities were shut down few years ago and are now under dismantling. In these facilities, after the disposal of different equipments (glove boxes etc.) and a cleaning-up step, laboratories are subject to decommissioning and sometimes demolition. In order to establish the working procedure of dismantling, an inventory on the radioactive level of the various materials and areas is essential. Furthermore, correct waste classification is crucial to define the appropriate final disposal repository and also to keep disposal cost down to a minimum. For all these characterizations, the laboratory in CEA Saclay (LASE) develops radiochemical procedures and analytical techniques to provide results with high confidence level and with very low detection limits.