An instrument for measuring levels of concentration of tritium and tritium oxides in environmental air includes a scintillation detector, such as a photomultiplier, and a controlled device for exposing scintillators to the detector in succession. Air being monitored is passed over the scintillators. A thermoelectric device is used to cool and warm one of the scintillators for condensing air moisture onto its surface and for evaporating moisture from it, the count rate being measured in both instances. The other scintillator is a reference scintillator, the count rate from which is also measured, and a measurement is taken with neither of the scintillators exposed to the scintillation detector. The concentration levels of tritium and tritium oxides are computed from the set of measurements.

A device for determining, by detection and calculation, nuclide contents of radioactive inert gases. The device includes a measuring chamber (1) which contains the inert gases, a detector (3) which detects gamma radiation emitted from the radioactive inert gases, calculating members (5) which, based on the detected gamma radiation, calculate the content of the different nuclides.

A system for continuously monitoring the concentration of tritium in an aqueous stream. The system pumps a sample of the stream to magnesium-filled combustion tube which reduces the sample to extract hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas is then sent to an isotope separation device where it is separated into two groups of isotopes: a first group of isotopes containing concentrations of deuterium and tritium, and a second group of isotopes having substantially no deuterium and tritium. The first group of isotopes containing concentrations of deuterium and tritium is then passed through a tritium detector that produces an output proportional to the concentration of tritium detected. Preferably, the detection system also includes the necessary automation and data collection equipment and instrumentation for continuously monitoring an aqueous stream.

Method and apparatus for testing ultralow moisture permeation through a sample such as a thin barrier film by exposing one surface of a sample to be tested for moisture permeation to a predetermined humidity of HTO. The HTO permeating therethrough is collected in a stream of dry gas, preferably methane, at a known flow rate, and monitored for its radioactivity content. Monitoring over a period of time and appropriate conversion allows accurate assessment of even permeation rates measured as very low fractions of a gram of water per square meter per day.

An airborne particulate sampling monitor for collecting particulate in either a solid, liquid or gaseous state. The monitor includes at least two intakes, each of which accepts airborne particulate. Paired with and coupled to each intake is an appropriate particulate filter for sampling accepted airborne particulates. A vacuum pump establishes air flow into one of the intakes and a sampling process controller, coupled between each intake and filter pairing and to the vacuum pump, controls the vacuum pump's establishing of air flow into a selected particulate intake. Preferably, the vacuum pump and sampling process controller reside within a hub unit to which multiple satellite units can be coupled such that each satellite unit employs the vacuum pump and sampling process controller of the hub unit. Due to central processing, conditional sampling at one or more of the units is possible. Further details and manual particulate sampling methods are presented.