Disposal Process for High Activity Sources by a University through the U.S. Dept. of Energy's Off-Site Source Recovery Project - 12076
- Colorado State University Radiation Control Office, Department of Environmental Health Services, Fort Collins, CO. 80523-6021 (United States)
- Colorado State University, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Fort Collins CO. 80523-1618 (United States)
Sealed radioactive sources are used in a wide variety of applications by a large number of license holders in the Unites States. Applications range from low-activity calibration sources to high-activity irradiators for engineering, research, or medical purposes. This paper describes and evaluates the safety and security measures in place for disused sealed sources, in particular of high activity sealed sources at the end of their operational life-time. The technical, radiation protection, and financial challenges for licensees and the Competent Authorities are reviewed from the point of view of the license holder. As an example, the waste management processes and the chain of custody for disused research irradiator sources are followed from extraction from the irradiator facility to the source disposal or recycling contractor. Possible safety and security concern in the waste disposal process are investigated in order to identify improvement potential for radiation protection or source security. Two shipments of disused sealed sources from Colorado State University (CSU) have been conducted through the CSU Radiation Control Office (RCO) in the last two years, with a third shipment expected to be completed by the end of November 2011. Two of the sources shipped are considered 'high' activity and exceed the U.S. NRC limits requiring increased controls for security purposes. Three sources were shipped in 2009 and ten more are expected in 2011. A total activity of 117.3 GBq was shipped in 2009. Nine sources were recently shipped in October 2011 through a third party waste broker where the total activity was 96.34 GBq. The last source is scheduled for shipment no later than 30 November 2011 and contains an activity of 399.96 GBq. Radiation waste disposal of high activity sources in large shields with unknown manufacturers, serial numbers, or model numbers is an arduous process requiring multiple contacts with various state and federal agencies. DOE's OSRP has made it possible for CSU to dispose of older unused sources in an economically viable way. Disposal of multiple sources all at once was not an option prior to the establishment of the SCATR program. While CSU was able to dispose of sealed sources when funds were available, the cost to the University would have been prohibitive for this type of mass removal and disposal of radiation sources initiated within this initiative. Where we estimate a cost of about $130 k to ship these sources otherwise, CSU's contribution of $21 k realized a significant savings in what would have been an impossible disposal cost. Removing unused radiation sources from CSU has realized a cost savings while removing a potential security threat. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9-332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 22293400
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-14-WM-12076; TRN: US14V1053114924
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: WM2012: Waste Management 2012 conference on improving the future in waste management, Phoenix, AZ (United States), 26 Feb - 1 Mar 2012; Other Information: Country of input: France; 8 refs.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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