Gamma Radiation Scanning of Nuclear Waste Storage Tile Holes

Abstract

Nuclear waste management facilities at Chalk River Laboratories use below-ground „tile holes‟ to store solid waste from various activities such as medical radioisotope production. A silicon PIN (p-type-intrinsic-n-type semiconductor) diode based gamma radiation scanning system has been developed and used to profile the gamma radiation fields along the depth of waste storage tile holes by deploying the sensor into verification tubes adjacent to the tile holes themselves. The radiation field measurements were consistent with expected radiation fields in the tile holes based on administrative knowledge of the radioactive contents and their corresponding decay rates. Such measurements allow non-invasive verification of tile hole contents and provide input to the assessment of radiological risk associated with removal of the waste. Using this detector system, radioactive waste that has decayed to very low levels may be identified based on the radiation profile. This information will support planning for possible transfer of this waste to a licensed waste storage facility designed for low level waste, thus freeing storage space for possible tile hole re-use for more highly radioactive waste.