A non-destructive and on-site digital autoradiography-based tool to identify contaminating radionuclide in nuclear wastes and facilities to be dismantled

As part of the recent developments of digital autoradiography-based methods in the context of nuclear dismantling (alpha and soft-beta on-site detection, mapping, wastes and sample characterization), two novel approaches are proposed to enable a preliminary identification of the contaminating radionuclide. An energy-storage radio luminescent phosphor screen stacking method is described, and can be completed with a comparison method between two different types of screens, for the case of non-through radiations (alpha, H-3 and C-14 beta, Fe-55 X-rays). Tests were carried out on fifteen common radionuclides as well as on real samples, and a fast stack-scan method was developed, to provide industry-ready operational tools. (author)