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This review paper presents the contribution of the Radionuclide Metrology Laboratory (RML) to the development and practical application of the coincidence counting methods. It is also intended to pay tribute to Dr. Enric Leon Grigorescu, the founder of our school of radionuclide metrology. A synthetic treatment of the method, applied to some classes of radionuclides with their common and particular aspects in standardization, is presented: pioneering calculation of instrumental corrections, specific method corrections applied for various types of decay schemes in the variant of efficiency extrapolation, results obtained in international comparisons.

This paper presents the results obtained in the establishment of the upper level of the traceability chain, primary and secondary 222 Rn measurements, with the standard system realized at IFIN-HH, Romania. The following subjects are presented: (i) the principle of establishing the traceability chain; (ii) the setting up of the final metallic system for the radon standardization and the experimental method; (iii) results obtained in the realization of the traceability chain, by absolute radon standardization with the liquid scintillation counting method (LSC) and relative measurements of activity, using the HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry method and the CENTRONIC IG12/20A ionization chamber, and its validation. The final purpose of the work is to calibrate adequately the secondary standard systems, HPGe spectrometer and ionization chamber, for using them in the measurement of the working standards, various types of recipients containing radon gas, prepared in the laboratory with the radon system.

An international exercise, registered as EUROMET project no. 907, was launched to measure both the activity of a solution of (124)Sb and the photon emission intensities of its decay. The same solution was sent by LNE-LNHB to eight participating laboratories, six of which sent results for photon emission intensities both in absolute and in relative terms. From these results and including previous published values, a consistent decay scheme was worked out, proving that problems in activity measurements have not been due to decay scheme data.

An international exercise, registered as EUROMET project no. 907, was launched to measure both the activity of a solution of (124)Sb and the photon emission intensities of its decay. The same solution was sent by LNE-LNHB to eight participating laboratories. In order to identify possible biases, the participants were asked to use all possible activity measurement methods available in their laboratory and then to determine their reference value for comparison. Thus, measurement results from 4pibeta-gamma coincidence/anti-coincidence counting, CIEMAT/NIST liquid-scintillation counting, 4pigamma counting with well-type ionization chambers and well-type crystal detectors were given. The results are compared and show a maximum discrepancy of about 1.6%: possible explanations are proposed.

The paper presents the (222)Rn Standard System realized at the Radionuclide Metrology Laboratory from IFIN-HH, Romania. It contains a Pylon solid (226)Ra source, and a glass circuit for circulation and recovery of (222)Rn in glass ampoules, at the 77K temperature. The radon can be recovered both in ampoules with liquid scintillator (LS), for absolute standardization of (222)Rn by liquid scintillation counting (LSC) (Cassette et al., 2006), and in evacuated ampoules as gas, simultaneously or by the transfer of radon from gas into LS ampoules, in order to establish the traceability chain. The absolute standardization consists in the registration of the double coincidence counting rate in LS, due to the whole sequence of short life components of the (222)Rn chain, in equilibrium conditions. The main correction applied to the measurement results is due to the decay of (214)Po during the extendable dead time of the system. The following procedure was applied to take it into account. The value of the base duration of the dead time was precisely measured and used for the data corrections. The measurements of each source were repeated during a period of several days, and the decay curve parameters were calculated. If the dead time value and the correction formulae, presented throughout the paper, were adequate, then the re-determination of the (222)Rn half life, T(1/2)=(3.8232+/-0.0008) d, using the decay curve of the corrected counting rates should be correct. On the other hand, the effective dead time values obtained by parallel calculations were compared. The paper presents the results obtained in the standardization of several sources, by LSC, and the evaluation of the uncertainties associated to the method.

The “conventional” TDCR system was used for standardization of the tritiated water in the frame of the international comparison organized by CCRI(II). The prototype of the new TDCR realized at LNHB with three CPMs (Ivan et al., 2008) was improved by constructing at IFIN-HH, a system containing six channel photomultiplier tubes arranged symmetrically in a new optical chamber. The system was tested by measuring various pure beta emitters and for comparative measurements of tritiated water for validation studies.

Phosphogypsum is a by-product of the phosphoric acid based fertilizer industry; it can be used in agriculture and to make building materials. Phosphogypsum is radioactive due to the presence of technically enhanced naturally occurring radionuclides (TENORM) and its environmental impact is a major concern of the public authorities. The Radionuclide Metrology Laboratory from IFIN-HH participated at the IAEA-CU-2007-06-CCRI(II)-S5 Supplementary Comparison for the Determination of TENORM in phosphogypsum. The measurement procedures and the discussion of results and problems encountered are presented.

The paper presents the results obtained in the calibration of the CENTRONIC IG12/20A ionization chamber for 18 gamma ray emitters, and its improvement with a Keithley 6517A electrometer. The calibration figures were determined either directly in pA MBq(-1) units, or calculated from old units, by using the system capacity value. The calibration figures, determined with RML's standards, are compared with those deduced from the KCRV or the mean of the comparisons, and the values determined at PTB-Germany.

Detailed uncertainty reporting is imperative for proficiency tests and comparison exercises because uncertainties need to be comparable and trusted by all the participants. Even though participants do their best to follow the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, ambiguities and divergences about uncertainty evaluation remain. Consequently, to analyze the situation, the CCRI (II) Uncertainties Working Group proposed a comparison exercise (CCRI(II)-S7) about the uncertainty evaluation of a relatively simple primary activity measurement: the standardization of a 60Co source by coincidence counting. To be able to understand how various NMIs calculate coincidence counting uncertainties, our study focused on two of the dominant uncertainty components commonly quoted for 4πβ-γ coincidence counting in the International Reference System (SIR) submissions and Key Comparison exercises: efficiency-extrapolation and weighing. Participants from twelve different laboratories were sent the same set of measurement data from the analysis of a 60Co solution standardized at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). Our study demonstrated the extent of the different interpretations of the uncertainty components. Some factors causing large discrepancies were isolated and are discussed. Further studies of other techniques using a similar approach would be beneficial for the metrology community. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCRI, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

Since 2006, the Institutul de Fizica si Inginerie Nucleara ? 'Horia Hulubei' (Romania), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (USA) and the Bundesamt f?r Eich- und Vermessungswesen (Austria) have each submitted samples of known activity of 60Co to the International Reference System (SIR). The values of the activity submitted were between 180 kBq and 3.1 MBq. The key comparison results now include updated results for these three national metrology institutes with the identifier BIPM.RI(II)-K1.Co-60. The key comparison reference value has been re-evaluated following the recommendations of the CCRI(II) and the matrix of degrees of equivalence in the key comparison database now contains nineteen results as some very early results have now been excluded, identifier BIPM.RI(II)-K1.Co-60. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCRI Section II, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).