C-188 CO-60 sources installation and source rack loading optimization processes in a gamma irradiation facility

Abstract

Since 2004, the Multipurpose Gamma Facility at the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute has been providing services on radiation processing for disinfection and sterilization of health care and disposable medical products as well to support research studies on modification of physical, chemical and biological properties of several materials. Recently, there was an increment in irradiation of the Cultural Heritages. This facility uses C-188 double-encapsulated radioactive Cobalt-60 sources kwon as pencils from manufactures outside of country. The activity of the cobalt sources decays into a stable nickel isotope with a half-life around 5.27 years, which means a loss of 12.3% annually. Then, additional pencils of Cobalt-60 are added periodically to the source rack to maintain the required capacity or installed activity of the facility. The manufacturer makes shipping of the radioactive sources inside a high density container type B(U) , by sea. This one involves many administrative, transport and radiation safety procedures. Once in the facility, the container is opened inside a deep pool water to remove the pencils. The required source geometry of the facility is obtained by loading these source pencils into predetermined diagram or positions in source modules and distributing these modules over the source rack of the facility. The dose variation can be reduced placing the higher activity source pencils near the periphery of the source rack. In this work are presented the procedures for perform the boiling leaching tests applied to the container, the Cobalt-60 sources installation, the loading processes and the source rack loading optimization.