Automatic control and detection systems for low-level radioactive waste drums

Abstract

Vast quantities of low-level solid nuclear wastes are produced in the operation and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. These radioactive nuclear wastes are usually contained in special drums. Consequently, these nuclear waste drums must be tested, classified and their levels measured before they are placed in a final repository. There are certain dangers during the detection process; there is an urgent need for a safe, efficient, and autonomous system to inspect these nuclear waste drums. This study describes the methods involved in scanning and measuring the vertical section of radioactive waste drums and describes using the programmable logic controller (PLC-SIEMENS S7-1200) in order to construct an automated system as well as a detection system. According to the waste drum test flow, we designed a control program that utilizes the STEP7 Software as well as a monitoring program using SIEMENS WinCC that is flexible within the computer's central monitoring system. In the future, this system may be applied beyond the scale of a laboratory; nuclear enterprises may be able to adopt this process for sampling checks on contaminated waste. This study ensures the detection efficiency of waste drums as well as the safety of their operators. Furthermore, the proposed system effectively promotes the disposal and management of radioactive waste, which has potential applications in engineering.