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A Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Program for Activated Waste from he GE PETrace™ Cyclotron

Breuning, David

Abstract Details

2010, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Nuclear Engineering.

Preventative Maintenance and Operational Use of the 16.5 MeV GE PETrace™ Cyclotron, used for the production of 18F and other radioisotope labeled pharmaceuticals, produces long-lived activated waste products which must be classified by radionuclide and activity before disposal as Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW). Large volumes of this waste can be created in a busy cyclotron facility, but full gamma spectrometric analysis of all of the waste is expensive, and excessive handling of the waste is counter to the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) concept.

However, analysis of representative waste components allows them to be classified into categories in a manner such that all components in any category contain similar radioisotopic content. Radioisotopic activity and exposure rate measurements of representative samples of each of these categories can be used as standards to create conversion factors for each radionuclide in each category in units of activity per unit exposure rate. Subsequent future waste assumes that similar processes produce similar mixtures of radioisotopes, allowing this future waste to placed in the same category in which the standard was placed. This thesis assesses with what accuracy an estimate of the maximum possible isotopic activity of the waste can be determined by taking exposure rate measurements of future waste and multiplying the measured exposure rates by each conversion factor for each radionuclide for the category. The results of the assessment are that for Niobium and Silver Targets, Vacuum Tank and Ion Source Rags, Delivery Lines and other Delivery System Components, Chimneys and Pullers, Vacuum Tank Rods and Seals, Collimators and Baffles, and Extraction Foils and Fittings an estimate of the maximum possible isotopic activity of the waste, can be determined with sufficient accuracy to allow it to be disposed of as LLRW

Thomas Blue, PhD (Advisor)
Nilendu Gupta, PhD (Committee Member)

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Breuning, D. (2010). A Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Program for Activated Waste from he GE PETrace™ Cyclotron [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1260557462

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Breuning, David. A Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Program for Activated Waste from he GE PETrace™ Cyclotron. 2010. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1260557462.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Breuning, David. "A Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Program for Activated Waste from he GE PETrace™ Cyclotron." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1260557462

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)