Teleoperated radiological surface survey at the INEL waste site - An evaluation

A joint national laboratory effort evaluated teleoperated techniques to nonintrusively characterize a representative radiological burial area at the Idaho National Laboratory (INEL). Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) contributed a large, Nal gamma-ray detector system and a photo-ionization organics detector to this program. This laboratory effort mounted multiple geophysics, nucleonic, and chemical sensors on the solder robot interface program (SRIP) teleoperated vehicle. These sensors simultaneously collected radiological waste site, surface characterization data on the Pit 9 radiological burial area and the cold test pit (CTP) control area at INEL. A timely, economic, and reliable means of characterizing these sites is the ultimate product of this work. Then, safe, efficient cleanup methods can evolve. Unreliable waste inventories, however, govern initial characterizing strategies. The authors found the SRIP-borne surface sensors to be an efficient means to collect surface characterization data. Parallel reading of sensors shortens and aids the data interpretation process