Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
Université du Québec à Montréal
$90,755.00
Short-lived isotope analytical facility (gamma well counter)
EF 2007-08
Résumé
The present application is for the purchase of a gamma-ray counter equipped with a well-shaped germanium detector yielding counting efficiencies up to 90% for the measurement of a large array of short-lived radioisotopes of natural and/or anthropogenic sources. The instrument will thus be dedicated to very low-level counting of radioactivity, i.e., to small samples and/or low radioisotope abundances. The measurement of natural isotopes (e.g., 210Pb, 7Be, 226Ra, 228Ra, 234Th) as well as of isotopes linked to nuclear activities (e.g., 137Cs), is essential for: the dating of very young lacustrine and oceanic sediment, documenting benthic biological processes, the assessment of sediment displacement and accumulation rates, calculating growth rates of cave or hydrothermal deposits, determining particulate transport rates, as well as those of dissolved organic substances, assessing dissolution rates in soils and the accumulation rates and behavior of radioactive contaminants in ecosystems... This wide spectrum of use results in large analytical needs from researchers in limnology, oceanography, soil and environmental sciences. The advantage of gamma spectrometry over other analytical techniques, whenever they exist, is that the method is not destructive, so the sample can be reused for further biological, geological, elemental or isotopic analyses. The Canberra's gamma detector to be purchased here is a dedicated "turnkey" instrument, which maximizes instrument utilization and produces high quality results. Compared to older gamma instruments, this device offers a much more sensitive detector that can accept larger volume samples (up to 10cc vs. 1cc), thus permitting to reduce counting times and achieve a better precision. The radioisotope laboratory of GEOTOP needs this instrument to address the increasing analytical needs of an average of 25 researchers and graduate students from various academic Quebec institutions that call on our facility each year for these analyses.
Programme
Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
Bénéficiaire
Emplacement
Quebec, Canada
Type de bénéficiaire
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
Tel que publié
Application id
359559-2008
Name nom
HillaireMarcel, Claude
Department département
GEOTOP-UQAM-McGILL (Centre recherche géochimie et géodynamique)
Organization id
57
Institution établissement
Université du Québec à Montréal
Province en
Québec
Province fr
Québec
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2007
Competition year année de concours
2008
Award amount
90755
Program id
EQPEQ
Program name en
Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
Program name fr
Outils et instruments de recherche - catégorie 1 (<150 000$)
Group en
Discovery grants programs
Group fr
Programmes de subventions à la découverte
Committee code
8
Committee name en
Solid Earth Sciences
Committee name fr
Sciences de la Terre solide
Area of application code
404
Area of application group en
Environment
Area of application group fr
Environnement
Area of application en
Land, solid earth, seabeds and ocean floors
Area of application fr
Zone terrestre, fonds marins et océaniques
Research subject code
4200
Research subject group en
Geochemistry and geochronology
Research subject group fr
Géochimie et géochronologie
Research subject en
Geochemistry and geochronology
Research subject fr
Géochimie et géochronologie
Partie
1
Nb partie
1
Application title
Short-lived isotope analytical facility (gamma well counter)
Keyword
NA
Application summary
The present application is for the purchase of a gamma-ray counter equipped with a well-shaped germanium detector yielding counting efficiencies up to 90% for the measurement of a large array of short-lived radioisotopes of natural and/or anthropogenic sources. The instrument will thus be dedicated to very low-level counting of radioactivity, i.e., to small samples and/or low radioisotope abundances. The measurement of natural isotopes (e.g., 210Pb, 7Be, 226Ra, 228Ra, 234Th) as well as of isotopes linked to nuclear activities (e.g., 137Cs), is essential for: the dating of very young lacustrine and oceanic sediment, documenting benthic biological processes, the assessment of sediment displacement and accumulation rates, calculating growth rates of cave or hydrothermal deposits, determining particulate transport rates, as well as those of dissolved organic substances, assessing dissolution rates in soils and the accumulation rates and behavior of radioactive contaminants in ecosystems... This wide spectrum of use results in large analytical needs from researchers in limnology, oceanography, soil and environmental sciences. The advantage of gamma spectrometry over other analytical techniques, whenever they exist, is that the method is not destructive, so the sample can be reused for further biological, geological, elemental or isotopic analyses. The Canberra's gamma detector to be purchased here is a dedicated "turnkey" instrument, which maximizes instrument utilization and produces high quality results. Compared to older gamma instruments, this device offers a much more sensitive detector that can accept larger volume samples (up to 10cc vs. 1cc), thus permitting to reduce counting times and achieve a better precision. The radioisotope laboratory of GEOTOP needs this instrument to address the increasing analytical needs of an average of 25 researchers and graduate students from various academic Quebec institutions that call on our facility each year for these analyses.
