Abstract:
Energy is a critical requirement for economic development and specifically to improve
living conditions. It is one of the basic inputs in everyday life of human beings.
Geothermal Energy is one of the renewable energy sources that originate from the earth's
molten interior and the decay of radioactive materials in underground rocks. Heat is
produced by the decay of radioactive elements, including
40
K,
238
U, and
232
Th. In this
study, the analysis of the radio-isotope contents and concentration in the Aluto langano
geothermic brine, scale and soil were performed. The data collections were carried out
directly from the geothermal site and then analyzed using a gamma-spectrometer with
high purity germanium detector with GENIE 2000 software. The analysis were made
then for the
226
Ra,
232
Th, and
40
K radionuclides for the brine, soil and scales samples
collected from the geothermal power plant site in Aluto Langano in Ethiopia. According
to the analysis, the measured activity concentrations of the brine samples for
238
U,
232
Th
and
40
K were ranged from 0.65 to 3.63,1.7 to 8.26 and 11.05 to 16.5 Bq/Kg with mean
values of 2.2, 4.51 and,13.7Bq/Kg respectively.The value of measured activity
concentration of
238
U,
232
Th, and
40
K were ranged from 8.5 to 18.17, 22.1 to 88.65 and
284 to 548.4 Bq/Kg with mean values of 13.66, 47.28 and 409.3Bq/Kg for scale sample
respectively. The value of measured activity concentration of
238
U ,
232
Th and
40
K were
varied from 29.5 to 69.92 , 57.1 to 206 and 695 to 925 Bq/Kg with mean values of
51.2, 136.62 and 791.4 Bq/Kg for soil samples respectively. NORM scaling related to
gamma emitting radionuclides in geothermal system do not significantly affect the
functions of its power plant. In this study the composition of alpha emitters could not
be determined attributable to absence of alpha spectrometry which directly measures the
concentration of radionuclides that emits alpha particles directly.
Keywords: Natural occurring, Radioactive material, Geothermic system, Aluto Langano