Un nouveau système d’imagerie gamma portable dédié à la détection et à la visualisation des points chauds dans les centrales nucléaires

International audienceA new portable gamma imaging system dedicated to the detection and the direct visualisation of hot spots in nuclear power plants. In a nuclear power plant (NPP), the localization of radioactive hot spots is a major issue, as they are responsible for a significant part of the doses received by the workers, especially during maintenance operations. Since 2010, EDF and CEA havebeen adapting a new generation caméra gamma, GAMPIX, to have a dedicated portable tool available for this use. This system enables to superimpose a gamma image with a visible image, in order to locate radioactive sources in a given area. Onsitemeasurements at the Tricastin EDF NPP, combined with specific developments at CEA, have been carried out in order to meet the particular environmental and radiological conditions experienced in such industrial facilities: the relatively high energy of cobalt-60 (1.17 and 1.33 MeV) and the existence of an ubiquitous background. This article will present the specifications required, the corresponding improvements and the main results obtained during the on-site measurements campaigns. Even if they were dedicated to the qualification of the camera, the tests carried out showed useful results like the leakage lines along a lead protection and the displacement of a hot spot in a pipe (compared to its identified position). At the end, further developments are presented.Dans une centrale nucléaire (CNPE), la localisation des points chauds est une préoccupation importante, car ils participent à la dose que reçoivent les intervenants, en particulier lors des opérations de maintenance. Depuis 2010, EDF et le CEA ont entrepris d’adapter une nouvelle génération de caméra gamma, GAMPIX, pour disposer d’un instrument portable dédié à cet usage. Ce système permet de superposer une image gamma à une image visible, afin de localiser les sources radioactives pré-sentes dans un environnement. Des essais sur site au CNPE de Tricastin ont été associés aux développements spécifiques réalisés par le CEA, afin d’appréhender les conditions particulières rencontrées en CNPE, à la fois environnementales et radiologiques : l’énergie relativement élevée des gamma du cobalt 60 (1,17 et 1,33 MeV) et la présence d’un bruit de fond ambiant permanent. Cet article présente les principaux axes du cahier des charges initial, les développements réalisés pour y répondre, et les résultats obtenus lors des campagnes d’essais. Même s’ils étaient uniquement dédiés à la qualification de la caméra gamma, les tests réalisés ont montré des résultats très prometteurs, par exemple la mise en évidence de lignes de fuite le long d’une protection biologique ou le mouvement d’un point chaud dans une tuyauterie (par rapport à sa position identifiée). En dernier lieu, les développements futurs sont évoqués

BOOSTER: Development of a toolbox for triage of large group of individuals exposed to radioactive material

Conference of 2013 3rd International Conference on Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation, Measurement Methods and Their Applications, ANIMMA 2013 ; Conference Code:102802International audienceThe effective management of an event involving the exposure of a large number of people to radioactive material requires a mechanism for fast triage of exposed people. BOOSTER is a project founded by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Programme, addressing this requirement. It is a capability project designed to provide an integrated system which could easily be deployed and used. For this purpose, the BOOSTER consortium, relying on the expertise of seven members, researches and develops new approaches to allow an effective and fast management of most kind of nuclear threats. BOOSTER System was designed to help first responders mitigating the crisis by providing the necessary information to quickly assess the radiological situation, to support triage staff in performing an efficient and fast categorization of the potentially affected victims, and to give medical staff crucial information for further treatment at medium or long term post-accident

Electrodialysis in Hydrometallurgical Processes

Electrodialysis (ED) is an ionic exchange membrane process for separation of different components and species. In desalination, a large part of the energy is used to sustain a concentration difference between the solutions, but in the processes of exchanging in selective manners, the energy need is lower and more directed towards ohmic losses in the membranes. The latter has relevance to several hydrometallurgical industries, as they very often accumulate undesired species in their process streams and currently apply intensive (energy and chemical) routes to remove these species. Here, we describe the principle of ED and discuss opportunities for component and salt separation using ion-exchange membranes by providing a brief review of ED in the hydrometallurgical sector