Problems and experience of detecting particles on the beaches in the vicinity of the Dounreay nuclear site
- NUKEM Ltd., Kelburn Court, Daten Park, Birchwood, Warrington, WA3 6TW (United Kingdom)
Available in abstract form only. Full text of publication follows: There are several instances where radioactive material has been released from nuclear sites and is now found in particulate form in the environment. Contamination in this form was identified on the beaches close to the Dounreay Nuclear site in the 1990's and since that time NUKEM Limited has provided a measurement service to the UKAEA to find and recover these particles. There are specific difficulties associated with detecting particles - as distinct from distributed activity - and this paper discusses some of the theoretical and practical problems that are encountered in monitoring for such particles. The viability and performance of several types and configurations of radiation detectors will be described, along with methods by which particles might be detected, given their response to buried particles. Practical solutions to these measurement problems are described. Three generations of vehicle mounted sensing systems are discussed - each including improvements to specific measurement problems. The reliability and failure mechanisms of the monitoring systems used will be discussed, together with remedial actions employed. Alongside the radiation technology has been the use of GPS and GIS technologies to provide area mapping at high spatial resolution. The other practical aspects of performing surveys are also discussed, including understanding health-and-safety requirements; constraints imposed by weather, tides and tidal speed; the logistics of making vehicles. The results of all the particle finds to date will be presented and compared to the anticipated detection limits, derived from computer modeling and experimental studies. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Three Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5990 (United States); Technological Institute of the Royal Flemish Society of Engineers (TI-K VIV), Het Ingenieurshuis, Desguinlei 214, 2018 Antwerp (Belgium); Belgian Nuclear Society (BNS) - ASBL-VZW, c/o SCK-CEN, Avenue Hermann Debrouxlaan, 40 - B-1160 Brussels (Belgium)
- OSTI ID:
- 21156526
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ICEM'07: 11. International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management, Bruges (Belgium), 2-6 Sep 2007; Other Information: Country of input: France; Proceedings may be ordered from ASME Order Department, 22 Law Drive, P.O. Box 2300, Fairfield, NJ 07007-2300 (United States)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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