Repatriation of Gamma

Chambers Exported by BRIT

Sastri V.S. Konakanchi

Senior General Manager

Board of Radiation & Isotope Technology

Department of Atomic Energy

BRIT’s Laboratory Irradiators

S.

No.

Model Specification

Volume/Co-60

Activity

Original

Type

Approval

Current

Type

Approval

Remarks

1 GC-900 900cc, 5kci B(U) B(M) Table top

2 GC-4000A 4000cc, 10kci B(U) B(M) Pit needed

3 GC-1200 1200cc, 5kci with

clutch/brake &

rotating chamber

B(U) B(U) Table top

4 GC-5000 5000cc, 14kci with

clutch/brake &

rotating chamber

B(U) B(U) Pit needed

5 BI-2000 2000cc, 810ci with

clutch/brake

& rotating chamber

B(U) B(U) Table top

GC-5000

Gamma Chambers

Supplied & Decommissioned S.no. Model Domestic Export

1 GC-900 62(13) 11(3)

2 Gamma Shine-1000

(Modified GC-900)

2(0) -

3 GC-4000A

16(5) 9(1)

4 GC-1200

8(0) 0(0)

5 GC-5000

46(0) 11(1)

6 BI-2000 36(1) 0(0)

172(19) 31(5)

Myanmar 3, Srilanka 3, Uruguay 2, Iraq 2, Thailand 2, Sudan 2, Egypt 2, Indonesia 2, Romania 2.

Lebanon, Kenya, Spain, Ethiopia, Singapore, Malaysia, Greece, Vietnam, Yemen, Bangladesh &

Poland 1 each

Imported GC- 200/220 units

• Total = 8

• Decommissioned = 4 incl. one at Univ of

Delhi

• 2 units at BARC and one at INMAS, Delhi

operational

• Request received for decommissioning the

one at IARI, Delhi

Repatriation Scenarios

• When Transportation Certification still

Valid

• When Transportation Certification Expired

Source transfer needed

- By use of Mobile Hot cell

- By use of Custom built Source Extraction

Tool

Use of Mobile Hot Cell

•2kCi Co-60 or equivalent • Dry or wet sand shielding • Equipments 1.3m x1.3m x 2m (h) and 5 ton can be handled • Transportable in 20’ x 8’ x 8’ container

Source Extraction Tool

• Source holder of GC-900 is smaller in dia

than cavity size of Type B(U) BLC-100

• A tool to pull the entire source holder with

pencils into a shielded container and then

transferring to BLC-100 was developed

Repatriations Carried Out

• Total no. exported = 31 : During 1968-2013

• There was no commitment at the time of

exports to take back decayed sealed sources

• Repatriations carried out

- Yangon, Myanmar (1)

- Uruguay(1)

- Sri Lanka(3)

• 2 GCs at Sudan IAEA has arranged to get

decommissioned. Sources transferred to

another flask at Sudan under surveillance

Yangon, Myanmar

• 3 nos. of GCs exported

- 1. GC-900 Sr. no. 9 with Co-60 activity of 2553 ci for Department

of Veterinary Research, Government of Myanmar, Yangon in 1970

- 2. GC-4000A Sr. no. 9– 2725ci of Co-60 to Agricultural Corp. ,

Applied Research Div, Yangon, in 1985

- 3. GC-5000 – 12000ci of Co-6o to Atomic Energy Agency ,

Yangon in 2000

• During unrest in 1990’s, the control panel and driving unit of the

gamma chamber damaged

• No damage to shielded housing

• Entombment by constructing brick wall housing with a top slab

Yangon, Myanmar

• At the time of installation of GC-5000 in 2000

request for repatriation of 1st one (GC-900)

• The unit had B(M) certification available

• Carefully demolished the housing constructed over it

• The belly portion removed, cleaned, locked in

transportation condition and packed in the

transportation crate

• Transported by sea as Type B (M) package to

Mumbai

Uruguay

• GC-4000A Sr. No. 2 was supplied to

Faculty de Agronomia, Millan in 1970 with

Co-60 activity of 3360 ci.

• GC-4000A Sr. No. 12 with Co-60 activity

of 7600 ci was supplied and installed under

UNDP programme at Montevideo in 1984.

Uruguay

• Repatriation of GC-4000A Sr. No. 2 supplied in 1970.

• Co-60 activity in 15 pencils :

- at the time of supply 3360 ci

- in 2010? decayed to 16 ci

• IAEA had hired NTP, South Africa for recovery of sealed sources

• NTP used Mobile Hot Cell

- to remove the pencils

- to get those encapsulated into a special form capsule

- special form capsule was loaded into a type approved flask

- transported to SWRI, San Antonio, USA

Uruguay

• IAEA approached BRIT for

repatriation

• BRIT had agreed for taking back

sources subject to identification &

inspection

• The radiation sources inspected at

SWRI

• Loaded and sealed in two Type-A

containers and dispatched

• Containers received & sealed

sources removed in a hot cell

• Empty containers SWRI

Srilanka

• GC-900 Sr. no. 20 with 2036 ci supplied to

Central Agricultural Research Instt, Kandy

in 1973

• GC-900 Sr. no. 64 with 2125 ci supplied to

Central Agricultural Research Instt, Kandy

in 1986

• GC-5000 Sr. no. 15 with 13640ci of Co-60

supplied to AEA, Colombo in 2003

Colombo, Srilanka

• GC-5000 unit with valid B(U) certification

available

• Had mechanical problems in movement of drawer

assembly

• Drawer stuck in irradiation position with sample

chamber door interfering

• Protruding portion was cut and a cap was welded

• The unit was prepared for transportation & packed

in the crate

• Transported by sea to Mumbai in 2013

GC-5000 being put into its Transportation Crate

Kandy, Srilanka

• GC-900 Sr. no. 64 had valid Type B(M)

approval

• Decommissioned & packed in a crate

• Transported by sea to Mumbai in 2013

Source Extraction Tool in use at Kandy, Sri Lanka

Concluding Remarks • India conforms to the IAEA Code of Conduct on Safety &

Security of Sources

• AERB regulates and keeps the documentation of the

process right from source design, manufacture, equipment

design, customer authorization, site approval, transport &

disposal

• BRIT is the sole manufacturer of sealed sources in India

• Sources are manufactured as per international standards

• Sources are recycled to the extent possible

• Expertise available for proper management of sources

including disposal

Thanks