In Situ, Rapid Inspection Methods for Radioactive Material Transportation

Abstract

Radioactive materials are shipped in most countries within the framework of regulations and laws. In almost all cases the supervision of the shipments is in the hands of governmental organisations. In situ checks during shipment cover several areas, but it is usually limited to checking the shipping documents and packaging. There is no quick and easy field-based method for verifying the content of the documents. This inspection method helps to detect rough differences between data written in shipment documents and in reality. As a result of the inspection, the officer will know, whether it is worth investigating further or not. The method contains multiple measurements made by intelligent detectors. Unknown values like activity of the transported source and shielding efficiency of the container can be estimated with the help of incoming measured values combined with the information from the shipment documentation. The method was confirmed with real Cs-137 source and with an isotope container.