The use of radioactive tracers in industry

The possibility of using radioactive tracers in an industrial process depends on being able to produce in sufficient strength, at a reasonable cost, a radioactive isotope with a suitable half-life emitting radiation that can readily be detected. In addition, there must be no chance of the radiation harming the plant operators, users of the finished product or of radioactive material getting into normal drains. Problems where these conditions are satisfied include: the purification of chemicals, measurement of the wear of dies and piston rings, checking uniformity of mixing, the detection of the junction between different grades of oil in a pipe line, tracing sources of water pollution, studying ventilation problems, the location of leaks in cables and the measurement of the wear of bast furnace linings.