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Radiation Protection in Industrial Applications in India
Dr Ramanathan Ganesan
ex-BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre), India
Outline
• Applications of radiation in industry in India
• Country-wide radiation protection
• Radiological protection surveys
• Training programs in radiation protection
• Radiation incidents
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
List of radiation sources used in various nucleonic control systems
Number of Institutions 1010
• Level gauges 3559
• Density and moisture gauges 1062
• Thickness gauges 536
• Well logging tools 486
• Betascopes 156
• Others 714
Estimate of the current extent and status of the industrial radiography in India (as on 2008)
• Number of NDT companies 500
• Number of NDT gamma and x-ray devices 1300
• Number of radiographers 3900
• Number of declared accidents/incidents 2-3/y
• Mean individual dose 0.8mSv
Taken from RAS/9/042 – First Workshop of the Asian Region
ALARA Network Improving Radiation Protection in Industrial Radiography,
Chiba, Japan 5-7 Nov 2008
10
Applications of Nuclear Gauges in Industry
Film Thickness
Paper Thickness
Beverage Level Oil Level
QUALITY CONTROL
Film Thickness
Oil Level
Co-60 Detector
GAMMA COLUMN SCANNING
Provides clear internal details
Leak location in underground pipelines using radiotracers
Radiotracer for studying slit movement Dredging etc. in coasts/harbours
2016/9/29
Radiation Protection and personnel safety in
industrial radiography
TLD personal monitor
• No practices be adopted unless their introduction produces net positive benefits
• All exposures be kept as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA)
• The dose equivalent to individuals shall not exceed the limits set by ICRP/IAEA
• The design of radiation source/assembly must meet the requirements of ISO 2919
Radiation monitors
Distribution of doses in different intervals for various industrial sub-categories
(Thanks to Sanaye etal., Occupational exposures in industry during 1999-2008
Radiation Protection and Environment, January 2012, Vol.35, Issue 1)
Safety and security of radiation sources used in
industry • Safety and security of radiation sources is well organized in India
• No source can be obtained without an authorisation by BARC/AERB
• BARC/AERB ensures planning of installation, availability of appropriate
infrastructure including trained staff, equipment, storage and handling
facilities before authorisation.
• BARC/AERB carries out pre-commissioning surveys, surprise checks,
quality assurance, type tests and performance tests in all institutions.
• Implementation of radiation protection in industrial radiography is a difficult
task. Most institutions are private concerns with high turnover of operating
2016/9/29
From “Loss and
recovery of radiation
sources in India”
U.C.Mishra and
A.S.Pradhan,
Proceedings of IAEA
conference on
Goiania, 10years
later, Oct.1997
2016/9/29
From “Loss and
recovery of radiation
sources in India”
U.C.Mishra and
A.S.Pradhan,
Proceedings of IAEA
conference on
Goiania, 10years
later, Oct.1997
Loss of source during open field radiography
• Ir-192 source ~16 Ci was lost
• The source was found by a railway gang-
man
• Teams of scientists were despatched to
locate the source and enquire in hospitals
• Source was accidently located in the
shack where the gang-man was staying.
• Source was retrieved with remote control
and brought in lead pot to BARC
• There was a radiation burn in his thigh
and a plastic surgery was done
Loss of source during open field radiography
Dose calculations:
• Calculations based on the activity, duration and geometry of exposure
conditions.
• Problem of dose assessment due to varying distances of the source
from the body, lack of information about exact duration of exposure in
different portions.
• Experimental simulations using a thigh phantom of tissue equivalent
material and CaSo4:Dy TLD.
• Doses to different regions ranged from 5 Gy – 11.5 Gy
• Dose estimates correlated well with clinical findings
Recovery of Lost Radioactive Source in Coovum River
• 3 sources were lost - 2 Am-Be of 684.5 GBq and 18.5 Gbq and 1 Cs-137 55.5
Gbq
• Sources were stolen from a U.S. company doing oil-well logging for Oil &
Natural gas commission (ONGC)
• Sources were finally recovered in tact from a slushy area of the river
Recovery of Lost Radioactive Source in Coovum River
Chronology of the event: • The authorisation to import these sources were given by BARC to ONGC in 1990
• The first information report (FIR) on the theft of the sources was received on
September 23, 1993 by Madras Police
• Several teams of scientists were assembled to survey all potential areas covering in
this process over 450 km of roads in the city and surroundings.
• Police enquiry indicate that the two sources were lying in the slushy area in the river
• Specialists from AERB, BARC and ONGC were called
• The sources were finally recovered after erecting a coffer dam around the region the
sources were lying to allow for local de-watering.
( 880 trucks dumping 16000 tonnes of gravel and 10,000 bags of sand used)
Training courses on radiography testing RT-1 • Radiographers certification course of 10 days duration is the first training course
on radiography testing started in 1978 by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
• 64 such courses were conducted during 1978-93 at different institutions in the country and generated about 1760 certified radiographers.
• In 1994 this course was abandoned and Radiography Testing Level-1 (RT-1) course was started.
• Currently, these courses are being run by 4 institutes approved by BARC/AERB. 15 RT-1 courses are conducted every year. 130 courses conducted since 1994 has produced 3000 radiographers.
• RT-1 training course is conducted as per ISO-9712 and syllabus approved by AERB. The duration of the course is 15 days.
Year-wise distribution of RT-1 courses, pass percentages and candidates during 1994-2013
Training Course on Radiography Testing Level-2
• The course is conducted as per the guidelines of ISO-9712 and the syllabus conforms to IAEA-TECDOC-628/Rev.2.
• This course is mandatory in the country for those who want to set-up the
radiography exposure devices or to work as Radiological Safety Officer (RSO) in the radiography practices.
• A candidate who successfully completes the course becomes eligible to act as
a certified radiographer as per standard provisions. • The course is of 20 days duration • 5-6 courses are conducted every year producing ~300 certified radiographers
TRAINING COURSE ON RADIATION SAFETY ASPECTS OF
NUCLEONIC GAUGES (NG) • A person who undergoes and qualifies the training course becomes eligible
to work as RSO in the sponsoring organization.
• The course was conducted by BARC till 2004. Since then it is outsourced to
the Indian Association for Radiation Protection who organize the course in
collaboration with BARC.
• It is a 9-day (working days, including Saturday & Sunday) course. There are
18 lectures on different topics related to radiation safety and two practical
demonstrations.
• It is normally scheduled when sufficient applications (about 30-35) are
received.
• Training programme is conducted normally at BARC. Depending upon the
availability of facilities and sufficient number of participants, this course can
be arranged at user institution also.
27
Training Programme - Industrial Applications
