Uses of Radioactive materials in Industry

Gamma Radiography

Gamma Source

X-ray film

Gamma radiography
Gamma

vs X-ray Smaller instrument Dont need electricity, so good for remote areas Discrete energies Higher energies

Gamma radiography

Checking for cracks in an aircraft engine

A gamma radiograph of pipelooking for faults

Using a pipe crawler to test welds in the field

Gamma Radiography
Common

Isotopes

Safety

Issues
Class 2 month on the job Refresher every 12 months

Iridium-192 Co-60
Source

License requirement
Training

shielding from 50 to 500 pounds of DU.

Monitoring Leak

tests Security of device

Neutron Methods
Takes

advantage of neutrons interacting with substances and causing them to emit gamma rays which are analyzed.
Thermal Neutron Capture Neutron inelastic scattering.

Neutron Source Neutrons Gammas

NaI Dector

Soil Density Gauge

Uses an Am241/Be9 source to generate neutrons and a Bismuth/germanium solid state detector

Neutron Radiography
One of the biggest uses is monitoring conveyers in coal and concrete industry.

Neutron Radiography Safety

Use
Training Monitoring (neutron) Most are self shielding Leak testing Security is a big issue
Lost

Transportation
Lots of these are used at remote sites. DOT regs. These are usually yellow II, and have to be labeled. Have to be blocked and braced, not in passenger compartment Have to have shipping papers, even if transported in a company truck Radiation and hazmat training required to carry.

gauges Gauges run over by equipment.

Fixed gauges
Level,

flow, and thickness gauges

Gamma, usually
Detect

level of material in a hopper Detect presence and flow of material in pips

Beta
Determine

thickness of plastic sheets.

Gamma irradiators
Typically these have Co60 or Cs137Up to 5 million Curies

Energy

Have to assemble a critical mass of fissionable material. For U235 without a moderator takes 50Kg =17 cm sphere. No moderator, lots of fast neutrons -get a bomb.

Moderator is often water. Slows down the neutrons without absorbing them. Others include carbon as graphite.

Control rods limit the fission reaction by absorbing neutrons. Cd and B are the most common.

Nuclear Power plants

Reactor fuel rods

Reactor NRX, Canada (experimental, 40 MWt)

Date

Immediate Deaths

Environmental effect

Follow-up action Repaired (new core) closed 1992

1952

Nil

Nil Widespread contamination. Farms affected (c 1.5 x 1015 Bq released) Very minor radioactive release

Potential Catastrophic Problems

Windscale-1, UK (military plutoniumproducing pile) SL-1, USA (experimental, military, 3 MWt) Fermi-1 USA (experimental breeder, 66 MWe) Lucens, Switzerland (experimental, 7.5 MWe) Browns Ferry, USA (commercial, 2 x 1080 MWe)

1957

Nil Three operators

Entombed (filled with concrete) Being demolished.

1961

Decommissioned Repaired and restarted, then closed in 1972

1966

Nil

Nil
Very minor radioactive release

1969

Nil

Decommissioned

Reactor core meltdown Chernobyl Large leak of radioactive material to environment

1975

Nil

Nil

Repaired

Three-Mile Island-2, USA (commercial, 880 MWe) Saint Laurent-A2, France (commercial, 450 MWe) Chernobyl-4, Ukraine (commercial, 950 MWe) Vandellos-1, Spain (commercial, 480 MWe)

1979

Nil

Minor short-term radiation dose (within ICRP limits) to public, delayed release of 2 x 1014 Bq of Kr85
Minor radiation release (8 x 1010 Bq) Major radiation release across E. Europe and Scandinavia (11 x 1018 Bq)

Clean-up program complete, in monitored storage stage of decommissioning

1980

Nil

Repaired, (Decomm. 1992)

1986

47 staff and firefighters (32 immediate)

Entombed

1989

Nil

Nil

Decommissioned

Real-World day to day problems

Power Reactor Facility: PALO VERDE Region: 4 State: AZ Unit: [1] [ ] [ ] RX Type: [1] CE,[2] CE,[3] CE NRC Notified By: RAY BUZARD HQ OPS Officer: PETE SNYDER Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY 10 CFR Section: 50.72(b)(2)(i) - PLANT S/D REQD BY TS Event Number: 43736 Notification Date: 10/22/2007 Notification Time: 09:27 [ET] Event Date: 10/22/2007 Event Time: 03:11 [MST] Last Update Date: 10/22/2007 Person (Organization): CHUCK CAIN (R4)

SHUTDOWN DUE TO INOPERABLE STEAM DRIVEN AUXILIARY FEEDWATER PUMP Event Text "The following report is based on information currently available. If through subsequent reviews of this event, additional information is identified that is pertinent to this event or alters the information being provided at this time, a follow-up notification will be made via the ENS or under the reporting requirements of 10 CFR 50.73. "On Monday October 22, 2007, at 0311 Mountain Standard Time (MST) Palo Verde Nuclear Station Unit 1 initiated a normal reactor shutdown to comply with condition C of Technical Specifications (TS) Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) 3.7.5. At 0504 MST Mode 3 was entered. "LCO 3.7.5 requires that three auxiliary feedwater (AF) pumps be operable in Modes 1, 2, and 3. The shutdown was necessary due to an inoperable steam supply for the essential steam driven AF pump turbine. The steam supply had been declared inoperable on October 15, 2007, at 0904 MST and will not be restored to operable status within the TS required 7 day completion time. Efforts are in progress to correct the condition. "The event did not result in the release of radioactivity to the environment and did not adversely affect the safe operation of the plant or health and safety of the public."

Nuclear fuel preparation why there are environmental remediation jobs.

The nuclear fuel cycle.