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Drum Monitoring System for Beznau Nuclear Power Plant

30 November -0001

Contract

NUKEM was awarded a contract to design and supply a characterisation system for waste drums which should perform the following measurements: weight of drums, dose rate at surface and at the distance of 1m, gamma spectroscopy and determination of surface contamination through wipe tests.

Description

The measurement station is a mechanical device controlled by a PLC which is capable to perform the following operations:

  • Positioning of the detecting system
  • Rotation of drums
  • Positioning of the HPGe detector at a fixed height
  • Performance of the wipe test
  • Marking of the highest surface dose location with a hotspot marker
  • Transfer drums to a predetermined handover position

A bolt system enables adjusting the mechanical system to handle drums of various sizes. All mechanical motions are automatically controlled and monitored by the PLC. The measured data from the detecting system are recorded and evaluated after a set time interval. Measurement results take into account the movements of the drum and detectors. During the measurement process, the status information and results are displayed on a screen. Upon completion of measurements, the results are saved and reflected in a measurement record.

Services

As the primary contractor, NUKEM was responsible for the detail design, construction and installation drawings, manufacturing, factory acceptance test, delivery, installation, commissioning, testing and putting in operation of the entire system, training of personnel and provision of maintenance services.