Jul 11, 2021
Successful Completion of the Field Testing
The REACh™ Detector System measures gamma dose rates and gamma emitting activity by radionuclide, delivering quick and accurate characterization results.
The results of the field testing for our REACh™ Detector System are in, and we could not be more pleased with them.
The testing consisted of performing gamma scans for twenty-nine real packages of radioactive waste varying in size from 55-gallon drums to 20-foot intermodal containers. Waste forms included ion exchange resins, routine dry active waste (DAW), contaminated and activated metals, and fly ash.
The results of the field testing were in good agreement with those found with a High Purity Germanium Detector and the total gamma emitters found were within 10%. The final characterization results from the REACh™ System including hard to detect isotopes from the RADMAN™ Interface, were over 20% lower than the results provided by the waste generators on the average.
The REACh™ Detector has the capability to detect gamma emitters very quickly with a dynamic count time that is completed in a matter of seconds. Dynamic count times for the packages analyzed ranged from 1 to 19 seconds with all but 2 packages analyzed in less than 10 seconds. One of the final tests completed was a “walk-around” scan of an intermodal container with 6 individual readings taken. The walk around scan was completed in roughly 1 minute and the results were within 4% of those obtained using fixed detector locations and count times totaling more than 20 minutes.
With the power of REACh™, the need to have subject matter experts on-site for low-level characterization and classification work is reduced, saving the user time, dose, and money and delivering accurate readings within seconds. The innovation of the REACh™ Detector, built on the power & reliability of our RADMAN™ Suite, is the way of the future for how low-level waste will be characterized and classified. The results of the field test exceeded our expectations, and we look forward to providing our valued clients and partners with more updates soon.