repatriation of gamma chambers exported by brit
TRANSCRIPT
Repatriation of Gamma
Chambers Exported by BRIT
Sastri V.S. Konakanchi
Senior General Manager
Board of Radiation & Isotope Technology
Department of Atomic Energy
BRIT’s Laboratory Irradiators
S.
No.
Model Specification
Volume/Co-60
Activity
Original
Type
Approval
Current
Type
Approval
Remarks
1 GC-900 900cc, 5kci B(U) B(M) Table top
2 GC-4000A 4000cc, 10kci B(U) B(M) Pit needed
3 GC-1200 1200cc, 5kci with
clutch/brake &
rotating chamber
B(U) B(U) Table top
4 GC-5000 5000cc, 14kci with
clutch/brake &
rotating chamber
B(U) B(U) Pit needed
5 BI-2000 2000cc, 810ci with
clutch/brake
& rotating chamber
B(U) B(U) Table top
Gamma Chambers
Supplied & Decommissioned S.no. Model Domestic Export
1 GC-900 62(13) 11(3)
2 Gamma Shine-1000
(Modified GC-900)
2(0) -
3 GC-4000A
16(5) 9(1)
4 GC-1200
8(0) 0(0)
5 GC-5000
46(0) 11(1)
6 BI-2000 36(1) 0(0)
172(19) 31(5)
Myanmar 3, Srilanka 3, Uruguay 2, Iraq 2, Thailand 2, Sudan 2, Egypt 2, Indonesia 2, Romania 2.
Lebanon, Kenya, Spain, Ethiopia, Singapore, Malaysia, Greece, Vietnam, Yemen, Bangladesh &
Poland 1 each
Imported GC- 200/220 units
• Total = 8
• Decommissioned = 4 incl. one at Univ of
Delhi
• 2 units at BARC and one at INMAS, Delhi
operational
• Request received for decommissioning the
one at IARI, Delhi
Repatriation Scenarios
• When Transportation Certification still
Valid
• When Transportation Certification Expired
Source transfer needed
- By use of Mobile Hot cell
- By use of Custom built Source Extraction
Tool
Use of Mobile Hot Cell
•2kCi Co-60 or equivalent • Dry or wet sand shielding • Equipments 1.3m x1.3m x 2m (h) and 5 ton can be handled • Transportable in 20’ x 8’ x 8’ container
Source Extraction Tool
• Source holder of GC-900 is smaller in dia
than cavity size of Type B(U) BLC-100
• A tool to pull the entire source holder with
pencils into a shielded container and then
transferring to BLC-100 was developed
Repatriations Carried Out
• Total no. exported = 31 : During 1968-2013
• There was no commitment at the time of
exports to take back decayed sealed sources
• Repatriations carried out
- Yangon, Myanmar (1)
- Uruguay(1)
- Sri Lanka(3)
• 2 GCs at Sudan IAEA has arranged to get
decommissioned. Sources transferred to
another flask at Sudan under surveillance
Yangon, Myanmar
• 3 nos. of GCs exported
- 1. GC-900 Sr. no. 9 with Co-60 activity of 2553 ci for Department
of Veterinary Research, Government of Myanmar, Yangon in 1970
- 2. GC-4000A Sr. no. 9– 2725ci of Co-60 to Agricultural Corp. ,
Applied Research Div, Yangon, in 1985
- 3. GC-5000 – 12000ci of Co-6o to Atomic Energy Agency ,
Yangon in 2000
• During unrest in 1990’s, the control panel and driving unit of the
gamma chamber damaged
• No damage to shielded housing
• Entombment by constructing brick wall housing with a top slab
Yangon, Myanmar
• At the time of installation of GC-5000 in 2000
request for repatriation of 1st one (GC-900)
• The unit had B(M) certification available
• Carefully demolished the housing constructed over it
• The belly portion removed, cleaned, locked in
transportation condition and packed in the
transportation crate
• Transported by sea as Type B (M) package to
Mumbai
Uruguay
• GC-4000A Sr. No. 2 was supplied to
Faculty de Agronomia, Millan in 1970 with
Co-60 activity of 3360 ci.
• GC-4000A Sr. No. 12 with Co-60 activity
of 7600 ci was supplied and installed under
UNDP programme at Montevideo in 1984.
Uruguay
• Repatriation of GC-4000A Sr. No. 2 supplied in 1970.
• Co-60 activity in 15 pencils :
- at the time of supply 3360 ci
- in 2010? decayed to 16 ci
• IAEA had hired NTP, South Africa for recovery of sealed sources
• NTP used Mobile Hot Cell
- to remove the pencils
- to get those encapsulated into a special form capsule
- special form capsule was loaded into a type approved flask
- transported to SWRI, San Antonio, USA
Uruguay
• IAEA approached BRIT for
repatriation
• BRIT had agreed for taking back
sources subject to identification &
inspection
• The radiation sources inspected at
SWRI
• Loaded and sealed in two Type-A
containers and dispatched
• Containers received & sealed
sources removed in a hot cell
• Empty containers SWRI
Srilanka
• GC-900 Sr. no. 20 with 2036 ci supplied to
Central Agricultural Research Instt, Kandy
in 1973
• GC-900 Sr. no. 64 with 2125 ci supplied to
Central Agricultural Research Instt, Kandy
in 1986
• GC-5000 Sr. no. 15 with 13640ci of Co-60
supplied to AEA, Colombo in 2003
Colombo, Srilanka
• GC-5000 unit with valid B(U) certification
available
• Had mechanical problems in movement of drawer
assembly
• Drawer stuck in irradiation position with sample
chamber door interfering
• Protruding portion was cut and a cap was welded
• The unit was prepared for transportation & packed
in the crate
• Transported by sea to Mumbai in 2013
Kandy, Srilanka
• GC-900 Sr. no. 64 had valid Type B(M)
approval
• Decommissioned & packed in a crate
• Transported by sea to Mumbai in 2013
Concluding Remarks • India conforms to the IAEA Code of Conduct on Safety &
Security of Sources
• AERB regulates and keeps the documentation of the
process right from source design, manufacture, equipment
design, customer authorization, site approval, transport &
disposal
• BRIT is the sole manufacturer of sealed sources in India
• Sources are manufactured as per international standards
• Sources are recycled to the extent possible
• Expertise available for proper management of sources
including disposal