Pipe
Explorer System
Description
The Pipe
Explorerª is a
system used to carry sensors into pipes to detect radioactive
contamination on the interior surfaces. In the past, only the exterior
portions
of pipe systems could be surveyed. The system consists of an airtight,
flexible
membrane inside a canister. One side of the membrane has a tether, and
sensors
and detection devices can be attached. The canister is then attached to
one end
of the pipe being inspected. As the canister is pressurized, the
membrane
inverts inside the pipe. The tether attached to the protective membrane
tows
along the detectors and their cabling. Once the survey is completed,
the
canister is decompressed to retrieve the detectors. Sensors that have
been
demonstrated with the system include gamma-ray detectors, beta-ray
detectors, alpha-ray
detectors, video cameras, and pipe locators. If contamination is found,
the
potentially exposed membrane must be replaced, and possibly treated as
radioactive waste.
Limitations
and Concerns
The system cannot
be used
in pipes with standing water or significant debris.
The Pipe Explorer
does not
differentiate isotopes
Some membranes
must be
disposed of as low-level radioactive waste. However, the technology
should
reduce the total amount of low-level radioactive waste because some
uncontaminated pipes would otherwise be treated as radioactive.
Applicability
This technology
is used to
detect radioactivity within pipes.
Technology
Development Status
The Pipe Explorer
system
has been demonstrated at numerous DOE sites.
It is
available as a commercial service for alpha, gamma, beta, and video
surveys.
The system is capable of deploying in pipes as small as 2-in. diameter
and up
to 250-ft long. The technology is commercially available through
Science and
Engineering Associates, Inc., (SEA).
Web
Links
http://wimsweb.hcet.fiu.edu/dndkm/Technology/TechnologyFactSheet.aspx?TechnologyID=80
http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/proceedings/00/ind_part00/lowry.pdf
Other
Resources and Demonstrations
Although
the initial demonstration pointed out that the pipes must be accessible
and
therefore pipes embedded in concrete or underground would have to be
excavated,
the 2004 Decommissioning Handbook by Thomas LaGuardia states,
ÒThe main value
of the explorer is its ability to free-release embedded pipe without
excavating
the pipe.Ó