Abstract
The W-MON project aims to improve and automatize the control of the presence of radioactive material in conventional waste containers at CERN using a distributed network of interconnected low-power radiation sensors. The key development is the integration of a lightweight but sensitive radiation sensor in a powerful network that allows continuous data recording, transfer and storage in a database for alarm triggering and subsequent data analysis. The Chiyoda D-shuttle personal dosimeter was used as proof-of-concept. Extensive tests performed with the commercial version of the D-shuttle showed that its robustness, stability under variable thermal conditions, high sensitivity and hourly dose logging capabilities make it a strong candidate for the project. To comply with the requirements of remote operation and wireless data transmission to a central server, a customized version of the D-shuttle has been developed. Two additional radiation sensors are also currently being considered. The sensors have been coupled to a custom-made communication board allowing for long-range low-power LoRa wireless data transmission. A centralized IoT (Internet of Things) end-to-end data architecture has been developed for real-time monitoring and visualization of the radiation level in waste containers before the final integration into REMUS, the overall CERN Radiation and Environment Monitoring Unified Supervision service.
Highlights
In a complex working environment such as CERN, radiation safety is both a key concern and a challenge
The test was performed by measuring the dose rate in the waste container while placing nine very weakly radioactive pieces in sequence inside the container over one week
After a piece was put inside the container, the dose rate was measured with an Automess AD6 at four positions in contact with the waste container
Summary
In a complex working environment such as CERN, radiation safety is both a key concern and a challenge. A reliable and efficient radiological control of conventional waste requires continuous and homogeneous monitoring. The controls are performed over more than two hundred household containers for ordinary waste located outside buildings where there is a potential risk that radioactive material is dumped by mistake (e.g. close to accelerator access points). This implies containers spread-out over a wide area covering hundreds of hectares. The containers are located outdoors and are regularly emptied through the standard garbage collection procedure imposing stringent requirements on the design of the radiation devices in terms of robustness, reliability, energy efficiency, security, and network coverage.
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