SAIP2026

Characterizing Radiation Backgrounds for the PAUL Lab Site in the Huguenot Tunnel

7 Jul 2026, 17:20

1h 20m

Great Hall (University of the Western Cape)

Poster Presentation Track B - Nuclear, Particle and Radiation Physics Poster Session 1

Speaker

Ntuthuzelo Nqeketo (University of the Western Cape)

Description

The proposed Paarl African Underground Laboratory (PAUL) project has
made significant progress toward the planning and design of an underground laboratory to be constructed during the upgrade of the Huguenot Road Tunnel near Paarl in the Western Cape, South Africa. While underground locations reduce cosmic-ray backgrounds, it is also important to understand radiation coming from the surrounding rock. Here, we report on measurements of the gamma-ray background within the tunnel, together with an analysis of naturally occurring radionuclides in the surrounding granite. This presentation summarizes in-situ gamma-ray spectra and the activity concentrations of 40K, U-238, and Th-232, determined through laboratory gamma spectroscopy
of rock samples.

Measurement methods, including detector calibration and sample analysis, will be described. The results are discussed with an emphasis on their implications for the design of the proposed underground laboratory and the development of effective background mitigation strategies.