High-performance gamma spectroscopy for equipment retrieval from Hanford high-level nuclear waste tanks

Gary L. Troyer; K. E. Hillesand; S. G. Goodwin; S. F. Kessler; E. Wayne Killian; D. Legare; Joseph V. Nelson Jr.; R. F. Richard; E. M. Nordquist

doi:10.1117/12.339063

29 January 1999 High-performance gamma spectroscopy for equipment retrieval from Hanford high-level nuclear waste tanks

Gary L. Troyer, K. E. Hillesand, S. G. Goodwin, S. F. Kessler, E. Wayne Killian, D. Legare, Joseph V. Nelson Jr., R. F. Richard, E. M. Nordquist

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3536, Nuclear Waste Instrumentation Engineering; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.339063
Event: Photonics East (ISAM, VVDC, IEMB), 1998, Boston, MA, United States

Abstract

The cleanup of high level defense nuclear waste at the Hanford site presents several progressive challenges. Among these is the removal and disposal of various components from buried active waste tanks to allow new equipment insertion or hazards mitigation. A unique automated retrieval system at the tank provides for retrieval, high pressure washing, inventory measurement, and containment for disposal. Key to the inventory measurement is a three detector HPGe high performance gamma spectroscopy system capable of recovering data at up to ninety per cent saturation (200,000 counts per second). Data recovery is based on a unique embedded electronic pulser and specialized software to report the inventory. Each of the detectors have different shielding specified through Monte Carlo simulation with the MCNP program. This shielding provides performance over a dynamic range of eight orders of magnitude. System description, calibration issues and operational experiences are discussed.

Citation Download Citation

Gary L. Troyer, K. E. Hillesand, S. G. Goodwin, S. F. Kessler, E. Wayne Killian, D. Legare, Joseph V. Nelson Jr., R. F. Richard, and E. M. Nordquist "High-performance gamma spectroscopy for equipment retrieval from Hanford high-level nuclear waste tanks", Proc. SPIE 3536, Nuclear Waste Instrumentation Engineering, (29 January 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.339063

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