Measurement of krypton-85 in water by absorption in polycarbonates

This article describes a method for quantitative measurements of Kr85 in water by absorption in polycarbonates. The method is based on exposure of polycarbonate samples in water and uses the high absorption ability to noble gases of some polycarbonates like Makrofol® and Makrolon® for sampling Kr85 from the water. After the exposure, the radiation emitted from the samples is measured by gross beta counting or gamma spectrometry. The results from the conducted experiments demonstrate a very good linear correlation between the measured signal and the activity concentration of Kr85 in the water. A possible practical application of the method is to monitor Kr85 concentration in water in at-reactor pools and wet spent fuel storage facilities.