Ultrapure gases - From the Production Plant to the Laboratory

Radioactive noble gas isotopes are a potential source of background in low-level physics experiments, since they are present in the atmosphere and also in widely used gases produced from the atmosphere. We have studied the 39Ar, 85Kr and 222Rn contamination of commercially available nitrogen using low background proportional counters and a rare gas mass spectrometer. It was found that air separation plants are very effective in removing traces of radioactive noble gases and that the available purity can be significantly higher than commercial specifications. On the other hand the gas handling processes which are necessary to deliver gases from the production plant to the customer are a possible source of re-contaminations and determine in most cases the achievable purity. By simulating these processes under realistic conditions we have establish together with the Italian company 'SOL group' a well controlled delivery path which can hold the purity. For the short-lived 222Rn the initial contamination is less critical, because it decays away. Instead the emanation rate of the cryogenic tank was found to determine the achievable purity, since it permanently delivers new 222Rn