The Characterization of Radioactive Waste Drums Using Nondestructive Scanning Gamma Ray System

A non-destructive assay (NDA) for radioactive waste drum has been studied using a local manufacturing gamma scanning system. The gamma system has been designed and implemented using scanning system contains a high efficiency portable HPGe detector for characterization and surveying the radioactive waste drums at Al-Tuwaitha site- Baghdad. To achieve identification with nonhomogenous radioactive waste drum, six parallel plastic pipes (2cm in diameter) were inserted inside the cement type Portland contain radioactive sources and located at different distances from the outer diameter of the drum. The efficiency calibration is measured by conventional technique, using five miscellaneous radio nuclides with drum. The efficiency trend effected strongly with distance between detector and hot spot (location of radionuclide inside drum) due to attenuation factor and geometry effects. The NDA procedure becomes more acceptable in radioprotection demands dealing with the management and inspection of radiowaste drums.