Russian RADON Discusses Technical Solutions for Recovering Disused Sealed Radiation Sources

The Federal State Unitary Enterprise RADON recently held a meeting of its Scientific and Technical Council to discuss technical solutions for recovering disused sealed ionizing radiation sources (DSIRS) from container-free storage facilities. The meeting was chaired by Artyom Ivanov, Deputy Director General for Science and Development, Doctor of Economics, and was attended by company experts as well as representatives from the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Russian State Agrarian University, and ODC UGR Joint-Stock Company.

The meeting focused on reviewing a project proposal submitted by RADON's Volgograd branch in the southern region. The project, presented by Dmitry Semenko, General Director of the Volgograd branch, aims to dismantle the branch's container-free storage facility and, following technical validation, replicate the solution at other sites.

According to the project plan, RADON will develop technology for extracting disused sealed ionizing radiation sources and conduct preliminary safety assessments; subsequently, it will organize and implement the source extraction work; and finally, the sources will be safely transported to the Sergiev Posad division of RADON's Scientific and Production Complex for subsequent storage.

Radiation safety was one of the core topics of the discussion. The project report calculated dose rates for personnel at each stage from source extraction to final placement, and proposed gamma-ray and neutron radiation monitoring throughout the entire operation, as well as monitoring of radionuclide activity in the air. The plan also includes personnel action procedures for emergency situations.

It was reported that the materials reviewed by the Scientific and Technical Council will undergo safety assessment by expert organizations and will be incorporated into the revised documentation required for obtaining a license from the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological, and Nuclear Supervision.