ASTM_C_1718_-_10.pdf

Designation:C171810Standard Test Method forNondestructive Assay of Radioactive Material byTomographic Gamma Scanning1This standard is issued under the fixed designation C1718;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This test method describes the nondestructive assay(NDA)of gamma ray emitting radionuclides inside containersusing tomographic gamma scanning(TGS).High resolutiongamma ray spectroscopy is used to detect and quantify theradionuclides of interest.The attenuation of an external gammaray transmission source is used to correct the measurement ofthe emission gamma rays from radionuclides to arrive at aquantitative determination of the radionuclides present in theitem.1.2 The TGS technique covered by the test method may beused to assay scrap or waste material in cans or drums in the 1to 500 litre volume range.Other items may be assayed as well.1.3 The test method will cover two implementations of theTGS procedure:(1)Isotope Specific Calibration that usesstandards of known radionuclide masses(or activities)todetermine system response in a mass(or activity)versuscorrected count rate calibration,that applies to only thosespecific radionuclides for which it is calibrated,and(2)Response Curve Calibration that uses gamma ray standards todetermine system response as a function of gamma ray energyand thereby establishes calibration for all gamma emittingradionuclides of interest.1.4 This test method will also include a technique to extendthe range of calibration above and below the extremes of themeasured calibration data.1.5 The assay technique covered by the test method isapplicable to a wide range of item sizes,and for a wide rangeof matrix attenuation.The matrix attenuation is a function ofthe matrix composition,photon energy,and the matrix density.The matrix types that can be assayed range from lightcombustibles to cemented sludge or concrete.It is particularlywell suited for items that have heterogeneous matrix materialand non-uniform radioisotope distributions.Measured trans-mission values should be available to permit valid attenuationcorrections,but are not needed for all volume elements in thecontainer,for example,if interpolation is justified.1.6 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2C1030 Test Method for Determination of Plutonium IsotopicComposition by Gamma-Ray SpectrometryC1128 Guide for Preparation of Working Reference Materi-als for Use in Analysis of Nuclear Fuel Cycle MaterialsC1490 Guide for the Selection,Training and Qualification ofNondestructive Assay(NDA)PersonnelC1156 Guide for Establishing Calibration for a Measure-ment Method Used to Analyze Nuclear Fuel Cycle Mate-rialsC1592 Guide for Nondestructive Assay MeasurementsC1673 Terminology of C26.10 Nondestructive Assay Meth-ods2.2 ANSI Standards:3ANSI N15.37 Guide to the Automation of NondestructiveAssay Systems for Nuclear Materials Control2.3 Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC)Guides4NRC Guide 5.9 Guidelines for Germanium SpectroscopySystems for Measurement of Special Nuclear Material,Revision 2,December 19831This test method is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee C26 on NuclearFuel Cycle and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee C26.10 on NonDestructive Assay.Current edition approved Jan.1,2010.Published February 2010.DOI:10.1520/C1718-10.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3Available from American National Standards Institute(ANSI),25 W.43rd St.,4th Floor,New York,NY 10036,http:/www.ansi.org.4Available from U.S.Nuclear Regulatory Commission,Washington,DC 20555-0001,http:/nrc.gov.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 NRC Guide 5.53 Qualification,Calibration,and Error Esti-mation Methods for Nondestructive Assay,Revision 1,February 19843.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 Terms shall be defined in accordance with Terminol-ogy C1673 except for the following:3.1.2 Algebraic Reconstruction Technique(ART),nimagereconstruction technique typically used in the TGS method toobtain the transmission map as a function of atomic number(Z)and gamma ray energy(1).53.1.3 aperture,nthe terminology applies to the width ofth