Brought to you by:

A novel technique for finding gas bubbles in the nuclear waste containers using Muon Scattering Tomography

, , and

Published 11 May 2018 © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab
, , Citation M. Dobrowolska et al 2018 JINST 13 P05015 DOI 10.1088/1748-0221/13/05/P05015

1748-0221/13/05/P05015

Abstract

Nuclear waste is deposited for many years in the concrete or bitumen-filled containers. With time hydrogen gas is produced, which can accumulate in bubbles. These pockets of gas may result in bitumen overflowing out of the waste containers and could result in spread of radioactivity. Muon Scattering Tomography is a non-invasive scanning method developed to examine the unknown content of nuclear waste drums. Here we present a method which allows us to successfully detect bubbles larger than 2 litres and determine their size with a relative uncertainty resolution of 1.55 ± 0.77%. Furthermore, the method allows to make a distinction between a conglomeration of bubbles and a few smaller gas volumes in different locations.

Export citation and abstract BibTeX RIS

Please wait… references are loading.
10.1088/1748-0221/13/05/P05015