Abstract
In this study, a radiation measurement system with multifunctions for the rapid radiological characterization of a decommissioned nuclear facility site was developed and evaluated. The system remotely and simultaneously measures the beta and gamma radiation from the soil at a decommissioned nuclear facility site and wirelessly transmits the measurement data to the main server, which collects and analyzes the data. The radiation-measuring part of the system is composed of a sensing probe, multichannel analyzer (MCA), and laptop computer. The sensing probe is a phoswich radiation sensor (PHORS) consisting of two inorganic scintillators (NaI(Tl) and CaF2(Eu)), each of which simultaneously measures the count rates and energies of the beta and gamma radiation. To test the performance of the PHORS, the beta and gamma radiation from a radiation source at 0–10 cm depths (at steps of 1 cm) under a soil surface was measured. The measurements show that the radiation count rates agree well with the theoretically predicted ones; the PHORS is as good as commercial radiation detectors in providing the energy spectrum of a radionuclide. In addition, a chi-square test was conducted, and the energy resolution was evaluated. The communication part of the system consisting of a global positioning system (GPS) and long-term evolution telecommunication (LTE) modem can successfully transmit the measurement data and their location information.
Highlights
The soil of a decommissioned nuclear power plant can be radioactively contaminated owing to leaks or the release of radioactive materials during its operation [1,2,3]
The measurement system is composed of a sensing probe, multichannel analyzer (MCA), and laptop computer
The sensing probe is a phoswich radiation sensor (PHORS) consisting of inorganic scintillators (NaI(Tl) and CaF2(Eu)), each of which simultaneously measures the count rates and energies of the beta and gamma radiation
Summary
The soil of a decommissioned nuclear power plant can be radioactively contaminated owing to leaks or the release of radioactive materials during its operation [1,2,3]. The radionuclides frequently found in the soil at decommissioned nuclear sites are 60Co, 90Sr, 131I, 137Cs, thorium, uranium, and plutonium isotopes [4]. If it is requested that a decommissioned nuclear facility site be released from regulatory controls, the radiation dose of the residual radioactivity at the site must be below the regulatory limits. When evaluating the site release criteria of a decommissioned nuclear facility, a DCGL (derived concentration guideline level), which is a radionuclide-specific surface or volume residual radioactivity level that is related to a concentration or dose criterion, is usually applied [7]
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