Participation of the radionuclide metrology laboratories in EURAMET international projects and national concerns on the correct measurement of the radioactive wastes activity

Dr. Maria Sahagia

Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, IFIN-HH30 Reactorului Str. Magurele, Ilfov County, RO 077125, Romania

Women in Nuclear, Romania, Member

Nuc Info'Day 2014

Parteneriatul Internaional o condiie esenial pentru gestionarea eficient a deeurilor radioactive15 APRILIE 2014

Introduction

The radionuclide metrology laboratories (RMLs) are part of national or designated metrology institutes (NMIs). RMLs assure the highest precision measurements of radioactivity in a country and transfer the activity unit becquerel (Bq) to the end users.

The world metrology activity is coordinated by the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM).The regional metrology organizations (RMO) coordinate the activity of continents metrology institutes.

In Europe, this responsibility is assumed by EURAMET e.V. theEuropean Association of National Metrology Institutes.

EURAMET organizes the specific research program, European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP).

EMRP is mainly aimed to solve the practical metrological problems from industry, social life and academia. Starting with 2014, the EMRP will be replaced with the EURAMET's European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research (EMPIR) EMPIR is currently a proposal of the European Commission to the European Parliament and Council. The Call is a two-stage process for joint research projects.

Starting with 2009, several calls for Joint Research Projects (JRPs) were organized, on areas: Environment, Energy, Industry, Health Care, etc.

IFIN-HH is implied in the collection, treatment, storage and survey of radioactive wastes from domestic applications of radionuclides. One important duty is the precise activity measurement.

The Radionuclide Metrology Laboratory (RML) from IFIN-HH assures the entire metrological traceability of measurements from the SI to the measurement of radwastes activity.

EURAMET-EMRP projects

connected with the problems of the radioactive wastes.

MetroRWM - Metrology for radioactive waste management. Disposing of nuclear waste (ENV09), http://www.radwaste-emrp.eu/

Responsible person: Petr Kovar from Czech Metrology Institute (CMI); 13 NMIs IFIN-HH was not a participant. Period: September 2011 September 2014.

Objectives and up to date achievements - Publishable Summary Report:

Standardized traceable measurement methods for solid radioactive waste : free release and acceptance to repositories - A facility based on HPGe detectors. - Databases of radionuclides. - Reference materials and phantoms. - Experimental measurement facility .

Novel instruments and methods for in-situ measurements - In-situ analysis techniques for -, - and -emitters at varying depth - Radionuclides of interest and two types of concrete material

Standards and spiked real reference materials from sites - Measurement and phantom containers - Reference materials and standard sources -Inactive and active concrete material and gas standards Decay data for radionuclides present in nuclear wastes -half-life measurements of long-lived products. - Activity and mass spectrometry measurement of I-129. Impurities in Sm-151. Ho-166m sent to partners and a sample delivered to BIPM for SIR submission, as an EURAMET supplementary key comparison. Gaseous effluent monitor/sampler for stored wastes. Rates of bulk gas production - LSC counter and a gas trapping equipment bubbler system - Prototype gas transfer system and mid-infrared spectroscope. - Equipment for time-integrated monitoring of radioactive gases.

ENV54 MetroDecom Metrology for Decommissioning Nuclear Facilities

JRP connected with the decommissioning process: characterization of solid wastes, pre-selection, free release and repositories monitoring, measurement of thermal power prior to repository storage, and long term monitoring of wastes and repositories.

Continues the JRP ENV09 "Metrology for Radioactive Waste Management Period 1 July 2014 - 30 June 2017, 14 partners. The responsible person is Jiri Suran from Czech Metrology Institute (CMI). IFIN-HH is one participant, Dr. Doru Stanga is the contact person.

The specific objectives of the JRP - Publishable Summary Report:

Methods for the radionuclide characterization of materials on the site. Remote mapping of contamination inside nuclear facilities

Traceable methods for the pre-selection of waste materials; automated facility design

Free release measurement facility (FRMF) on the site. Monitoring in radioactive waste repositories. Gas monitoring systems-on site trial

Reference materials and standard sources for calibration

New Nuclear (ENG08). MetroFission - Metrology for New Generation Nuclear Power Plants, http://projects.npl.co.uk/metrofission/

Period 1 September 2010 31 August 2013. The responsible person Dr. Lena Johansson from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) UK. A number of 12 partners participated IFIN-HH was a participant . Dr. Aurelian Luca was the contact person.

Objectives and their accomplishment - Publishable Summary Report

Improved temperature measurement for nuclear power plant - New sensors and methods for in-situ measurements extending the range to higher temperatures and characterizing, limiting, or completely eliminating the sensor drift in a high-temperature and high-neutron-flux environments.

Thermal properties of advanced materials for nuclear design - Thermodynamic models for major and minor actinides. - Predictions on high-temperature phase equilibria, of these materials - selection of materials for fuel and coolants of Generation IV Reactors.

Nuclear data. Current nuclear databases of neutron cross-sections for higher energies. Easy-to-use calibrated fluence standard. Measurement of the fission cross-section of 240Pu and 242Pu. Alpha-particle emission probabilities of 238U, with certified isotopic composition Beta-particle spectrometry using cryogenic detector, shape of beta spectra for 63Ni Measurement techniques for the activity of radionuclides on-site Two prototypes of portable LSC-TDCR systems for 3H and 241Pu: result without preceding calibration and reducing uncertainties. A digital acquisition system

Measuring radiation in scrap metals (IND04). MetroMetal - Ionizing radiation metrology for metallurgical industry, http://projects.ciemat.es/en/web/metrometal/

Period 1 December 2011 30 November 2014.Responsible person Dr. Eduardo Garcia Torano Centro de Investigaciones Energticas, Medioambientales y Tecnolgicas (CIEMAT), Spain. 14 partners. IFIN-HH is a participant. Dr. Maria Sahagia is the contact person.

Objectives and their accomplishment - Publishable Summary Report

SI traceable methods for activity measurement during the smelting process - Questionnaire - steel factories in 14 European Countries. Data collected used for optimized spectrometric device.

Reference standards: composite steel, cast steel, slag and fume dust of potential contaminants in geometries / matrices matching the industrial environments. - Cast steel and composite steel standards containing 60Co, 192Ir and 241Am - Slag standards with 60Co, 241Am and 226Ra - Fume dust standards with 137Cs - Sources dispatched to JRP-Partners for measurement and certification through inter-laboratory comparisons.

Optimized spectrometric device for the measurement of activity - two prototypes Two Spectrometric systems with HPGe detectors constructed at CIEMAT and at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany Monte Carlo efficiency calculation programs.

Evaluation of both prototypes at end-user facilities (foundries) This operation is under way. Technical recommendations for European and National Standard Committees for the standardization Workshops and discussions organized with the technical committees related to industry in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain and Portugal.- The project was presented to the Group of Experts established under Article 31 of the EURATOM Treaty in Luxembourg.

New , 2014, EMPIR calls :

Metrology for Industry Research Potential.

Address : http: //www.euramet.org/index.php?id-research-empir

National concerns on the correct measurement of radioactive wastes activity

IFIN-HH is involved in operations regarding the management of radioactive wastes and nuclear reactor decommissioning. The operations are connected with the measurement of the radionuclidic content in:

- Wastes or free release materials - Conditioned waste containers, - Evaluation of the radiological impact of the stored wastes over the environing area of the Radwaste National Repository Baita-Bihor.

Implication of the Radionuclide Metrology Laboratory in radwaste measurement (IFIN-H, Bucharest and NRI-Pitesti):

-Preparation of standard sources for equipment calibration-Calibration of the HPGe gamma-ray spectrometers-Preparation of special linear 152Eu standard sources for the calibration of drums.-Dr. Maria Sahagia is: Scientific PhD Cordinator of the PhD student Laurentiu Done from the Radwaste Management Department of IFIN-HH (DMDR), on a subject regarding radwaste activity measurement; Official referee at theses of Dr. Daniela Gurau from the Nuclear Reactor Decommissioning Department, IFIN-HH and Dr. Mirela Dulama and Dr. Maria Crina Bucur from NRI-Pitesti.

The most recent works and papers Main goals of the papers : - Improved accuracy in the measurement of waste drums activity L.Done, L.C.Tugulan, F.Dragolici, C. Alexandru: Gamma-ray spectrometry used for radioactive waste drums characterization for final disposal at national repository for Low and Intermediate Radioactive Waste- Baita, Romania. Appl.Radiat. Isot.87 (2014) 380-383This work continues a long list of previous papers on this topic:L.Dinescu et al. On the efficiency calibration of drum waste assay system. Nucl. Instrum Meth. Phys. Res A 487 (2002)661-666D.Gurau, O.Sima. Simulation studies of the response function of a radioactive waste assay system. Appl. Radiat. Isot.70 (2012) 305 308D.Stanga, D.Gurau. A new approach in gamma-ray scanning of rotating drums containing radioactive waste. Appl. Radiat. Isot.70 (2012) 2149 2153D. Gurau, Contribution to the development of gamma-ray spectrometry investigation methods applied in the decommissioning of the nuclear facilities, Thesis, Bucharest University, 2012 - Improvement of the radiological survey of the environing influence area of the National Repository Baita: sampling methods and measurement of activity. L.Done, L.C. Tugulan, F. Dragolici, C.Alexandru, M.Sahagia. The efficiency dependence on the analyzed sample characteristics in gamma-ray spectrometric analysis. Article sent to Romanian Journal of Physics, 2014.

Conclusions -The precise metrological characterization of the radioactive wastes is a high responsibility

- IFIN-HH, Radionuclide Metrology Laboratory, is an active participant EURAMET research projects.

- The scientific and technical results of the EURAMET-EMRP(EMPIR) RJPs will be used by: all units engaged in the management of radwastes national and international normalization(standardization) and control entities.

- The Departments for the Management of Radioactive Wastes and for Nuclear Reactor Decommissioning from IFIN-HH introducethe most precise methods of activity measurement

- Radionuclide Metrology Laboratory assures the entire metrological support to the field

Thank you!