Pipe Explorer{trademark} system. Innovative Technology Summary Report

S&T Accomplishment Report · Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7416· OSTI ID:7416

The Pipe Explorer{trademark} system, developed by Science and Engineering Associates, Inc. (SEA), under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Morgantown Energy Technology Center, has been used to transport various characterizing sensors into piping systems that have been radiologically contaminated. DOE's nuclear facility decommissioning program must characterize radiological contamination inside piping systems before the pipe can be recycled, remediated, or disposed. Historically, this has been attempted using hand-held survey instrumentation, surveying only the accessible exterior portions of pipe systems. Various measuring difficulties, and in some cases, the inability to measure threshold surface contamination values and worker exposure, and physical access constraints have limited the effectiveness of traditional survey approaches. The Pipe Explorer{trademark} system provides a viable alternative. The heart of the system is an air-tight membrane, which is initially spooled inside a canister. The end of the membrane protrudes out of the canister and attaches to the pipe being inspected. The other end of the tubular membrane is attached to the tether and characterization tools. When the canister is pressurized, the membrane inverts and deploys inside the pipe. The characterization detector and its cabling is attached to the tethered end of the membrane. As the membrane is deployed into the pipe, the detector and its cabling is towed into the pipe inside the protective membrane; measurements are taken from within the protective membrane. Once the survey measurements are completed, the process is reversed to retrieve the characterization tools.

• Research Organization: USDOE, Office of Environmental Management, Office of Science and Technology; Hazardous Waste Remedial Actions Program, Oak Ridge, TN (US); Colorado Center for Environmental Management, Denver, CO (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) (US)
• OSTI ID: 7416
• Report Number(s): DOE/EM-0306; OST/TMS ID; OST/TMS ID; TRN: US200304%%138
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Supercedes report DE00007416; PBD: 1 Apr 1996; PBD: 1 Apr 1996
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CONTAINERS
CONTAMINATION
DECOMMISSIONING
MEMBRANES
MORGANTOWN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY CENTER
SURFACE CONTAMINATION
TRANSPORT
CHARACTERIZING SENSORS
PIPING SYSTEMS
RADIOLOGICAL CONTAMINATION
REMEDIATED
RECYCLED
WORKER EXPOSURE
PHYSICAL ACCESS CONSTRAINTS