[ RadSafe ] Removal of Cs-137 source from an old irradiator

[JPreisig at aol.com]

Hi,
 
     _jpreisig at aol.com_ (mailto:jpreisig at aol.com) 
 
 
     Nice problem.  How about attaching an optical  fiber viewing scope to 
a broom handle
(or length of wood or something else) and see what the source configuration 
 actually is.
Shield around the opening to the irradiator when doing this viewing  
procedure.
 
     Then, build a small shielded container to fit  around the source for 
initial removal.  Shielded
container should work fairly well.  Pull out the shielded container  and 
place it in a better (final)
shielding container.  Get this assembly ready for shipping and ship  it.
 
     Someone out there from this company knows what the  irradiator guts 
are like,  Try a search for
company records in the state where the company was located.  Try  payroll 
records, Federal tax
records, Social Security records, state rad health department records,  
etc.  Find someone who
knows about this irradiator.  Or find someone with a similar  irradiator 
who can describe what goes on
in his/her irradiator.
 
     Best wishes,  (Better to be cautious with  such a source)
 
     Regards,  Joseph R. (Joe) Preisig, PhD
 
 
 
   
 
In a message dated 8/15/2011 6:58:33 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
mwasiol at sandia.gov writes:

Gentlemen, 

Thank you very much for the tips.  At some  point we did contact OSRP, but 
from what I understand, the removal of our  source was not quite consistent 
with their mission. The irradiator is rather  large, about 6 feet tall, 
which is why we thought we would try to remove the  source for disposal, e.g., 
from behind the shield wall using  manipulators.  That is why I was looking 
for the information on how the  irradiator was constructed inside. 

Thanks again,

Maryla  Wasiolek
Gamma Irradiation Facility
Sandia National  Laboratories
Albuquerque, NM
505-844-3507     

-----Original Message-----
From:  radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu  
[mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of ROY HERREN
Sent:  Monday, August 15, 2011 3:43 PM
To: The International Radiation Protection  (Health Physics) Mailing List
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Removal of Cs-137  source from an old irradiator

The very best deal to be had for  disposal of these types of items can be 
found 
at Off-Site Source Recovery  Project, OSRP, http://osrp.lanl.gov/.  The 
cost to 
your facility will  be minimal, that is if there is any cost at all.

Roy Herren  




________________________________
From:  "DrDonRhodes at cs.com" <DrDonRhodes at cs.com>
To:  radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
Sent: Mon, August 15, 2011 2:35:30  PM
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Removal of Cs-137 source from an old  irradiator

Hi,
I had a similar problem 25 years  ago involving 200 curies of Co-60 
in an experimental device which I  designed and built.  I had a complete 
set 
of drawings, but I did not  try to remove the sources.
I got a type B shipping  container from Chem Nuclear Systems, loaded 
the device, mixed and poured  in concrete and shipped for disposal.
This is  expensive and does not help you much.
Good luck,
Ddon  Rhodes
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