ULTRASOUND READER FOR POLLUX CASK SEALS

Year
1996
Author(s)
R Weh - Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Wiederaufarbeitung von Kernbrennstoffen mbH
K. Rudolf - Herzogenrath
B. Richter - ForschungszentrumJuelichGmb@ D-52425 Juelich
U. Netzelmann - Fraunhofer-Institut fiir zerstorungsfreie Priifverfahren
G. Giersch - International Atomic Energy Agency
D. Van Der Eecken - Commission of the European Communities
Abstract
To the end of maintaining the continuity of knowledge of the cask inventory during transportation and intermediate storage a sealing system is needed for spent fuel final disposal casks of the POLLUX type. The microstructure of the cask material as well as of a dedicated weld seam applied to the lid and the cask body provides for a unique fingerprint of the full cask, which can be reproducibly scanned using an appropriate technique. An ultrasonic backscattering technique proved to be a suitable measure for identity and integrity verification of the POLLUX casks. Following a feasibility study a prototype of an ultrasound reader is now being constructed. The paper describes this portable instrument, the first results of its testing, and the conditions for its safeguards implementation.