Radiating Scrap - An Industry Perspective - G.A. van der Reijden QA Consultant

Summary No smelter will accept radiating scrap The scrap processing Industry will do it’s utmost to prevent to sending radiating scrap Extensive monitoring of all scrap for radiating material has proven to be successful Potential Solutions for low Radiating Scrap

Unwanted Radiating Material The ISO 9000 demands of the Supplier to meet the specifications of the Client. The Clients demands : –No detectable Radioactivity in scrap

Why No Radiation ? The most important process of the smelter is melting metal in a furnace in order to make new metal products. This process will stop when a radioactive source is melted down. The damage of such an event is tremendous for all parties involved. Any possibility for such an introduction must be avoided Every alarm is forbidden and a disaster for the sender of the scrap

How to Deliver Scrap Without Detectable Radioactivity It is impossible to monitor the amount of radioactivity in each scrap object. Therefore the scrap industry has concentrated on measuring the likely emission of Gamma radiation produced by most common radioisotopes. The detection process must be more advanced than the detection process of the Smelter.

Return To Sender The first measurement of radiation is carried out by the gate monitor. This is the only chance to identify the sender of detected radioactive material “Return to sender” is a theoretical option because it is extremely difficult to succeed in returning radioactive material.

One Gate Detector is Insufficient Not one supplier of detection equipment will guarantee the 100% detection of radioactive material. Not one supplier of detection equipment will guarantee the 100% detection of radioactive material. From experience we know now that one gate detector does not detect all radiating objects.

To Satisfy the Client ! We introduced a new policy after a serious incident. Besides the existing gate detector system two more gate detectors were erected in one portal. Every gripper for moving scrap was equipped with state of the art detection equipment The policy was named multi measuring of various scrap configurations

The Results of the New Policy In the last tons of scrap delivered in one year not one radiating object was found by the Client

What Was Found ? An astonishing variety in objects (several hundreds), total weight over 50 tons NORM and ARM contaminated. Surface and volumetric. Surface and volumetric. License and No License needed

Solutions for Radiating Materials that need a Licence Cleaning: – Removing the radioactive material by water jetting grinding or chemical. – At the NRG Melting: – In a facility like the ones at Siempelkamp Germany and Studvic Storing: – at National facilities COVRA.

Solutions for low radiating objects that do NOT Need a licence As the regular scrap processing industry can not accept detectable radiating material, a solution must be found. The owners of such material must be convinced that they have to find a good solution for their problem. –Oil and Gas producers –Nuclear Industry

How to Solve the Issue of Low radiating scrap material Recognition that there is an issue ! UN should take a leading role ! Potential technical solutions: –The special melting capacity should be increased Like the Siempelkamp facilities –New refinery methods of metals should be developed To separate radioactive metals