Methods of Inspecting the Radioactive Contamination of Uranium-Graphite Reactor Masonry

Abstract

One problem of decommissioning graphite reactors is the evaluation of the radioactive contamination of the graphite. The possible methods of determining the composition, contamination, and radionuclide concentration by means of laboratory analysis of graphite samples taken from the reactor masonry are examined. It is proposed that samples of graphite powder formed during repair work performed on RBMK masonry be used. Life tests have shown that since their operational stability in neutron and γ radiation fields is adequate CdZnTe detectors can be used to probe the channels in the reactor masonry.