This device consists of four sub-systems. The mechanical system includes radiation shielding, a motorized industrial turntable, and a loading mechanism. The detector system reads the incoming radiation from the sample and provides input data to the translation system. The translation system receives raw data from the detectors, uses the data to determine characteristics of the waste, and sends the resulting information to the logic system. The logic system receives information from the user concerning the supposed characteristics of the waste and compares them with information provided by the translation system. It then determines if the waste has been properly classified and can continue through the disposal process or if it was mislabeled and needs to be analyzed further before processing can occur.
Team: Luke Reigot, John Kaufman, Sam Frey, Spencer Pilcher
Project Advisor: Dr. Peter Caracappa
Project Motivation
In order to properly dispose of radioactive waste, each waste container is classified based on activity concentration. The purpose of this project is to design a system or set of systems that can be implemented at waste disposal sites and can identify the makeup and concentration of said waste, verify these values with a provided shipment manifest, and properly classify the waste based on the results in order to ensure all waste is safely and properly handled.
wo views of the MCNP geometry used
Project Description
This device consists of four sub-systems. The mechanical system includes radiation shielding, a motorized industrial turntable, and a loading mechanism. The detector system reads the incoming radiation from the sample and provides input data to the translation system. The translation system receives raw data from the detectors, uses the data to determine characteristics of the waste, and sends the resulting information to the logic system. The logic system receives information from the user concerning the supposed characteristics of the waste and compares them with information provided by the translation system. It then determines if the waste has been properly classified and can continue through the disposal process or if it was mislabeled and needs to be analyzed further before processing can occur.
Multiple angles of the mechanical system model
Results and Accomplishments
Specific detectors, cryostats, and associated electronics were determined to best fit the needs of this device. A Matlab code was written to allow the data produced by the detectors to be analyzed and a conclusion drawn on the classification of the waste, and MCNP models were developed and executed in order to verify the validity of the codes. The results confirmed that the codes for both a point source and uniformly distributed source are accurate. Additionally, a 3 dimensional model was created to better physically represent the mechanical system. Together, these systems accomplished the objective of properly classifying radioactive waste within reasonable uncertainty.