Abstract: ¹³³Xe is considered as a key source term in the noble gas discharge from pressurized water reactor (PWR) power plants in China. Radioactive xenon isotopes contribute only a low volume concentration in atmosphere and gaseous effluent from nuclear facilities. Therefore, increasing sampling volume is necessary for radioactive xenon monitoring. This article describes research on xenon sampling concentrating technology in the air. Some experiments on various selected materials to test their Xe adsorption behaviors were carried out and their application effect in laboratory sampling were calculated. The result shows bamboo charcoal and coconut shell charcoal in particular granularity perform well in xenon adsorption, which can decrease the detection limit of noble gas sampling in radioactive effluents.

Key words: ¹³³Xe, effluent monitoring, sampling analysis