Production of the sealed gamma-radiation sources of with iridium-192 radionuclide at the WWR-K research reactor

Full text: Conversion orientation of the WWR-K research reactor activity was established after renewal of its operation in 1997. A priority in reactor works was determined in the decision of tasks of practical use of nuclear technologies in a national economy in the next directions: in an industry, public health services and agriculture. The items of prime tasks: development and introduction of radiation technologies and manufacturing of radioisotopes for industry. This task included both scientific and technical program in the list of works of the Republican goals. At the WWR-K reactor within the framework of the this task solution the works on pilot production of the sealed sources of radioactive radiations (SSRR) with Ir-192 radionuclide for an industry of Republic of Kazakhstan were made. Organizational questions related to the Kazakhstan authority body and the regulating documentation were solved the first of all. The second stage was the development of the techniques of creating of devices providing an samples irradiation in reactor, control of sources sealing, measurements of the equivalent radiation doze from sources and high-quality support of SSRR manufacture over all technological way. At the third stage was made a little quantity SSRR with Ir-192 radionuclide, such as GIID-A1 (G6), for 'TEKOPS-660' Gammaray Projectors. This work served as experimental check of the decisions correctness, and has allowed to remove those lacks, to find out which it was possible only during direct manufacturing of radioactive sources. During performance of all these works the following was carried out: development and release of the documents and specifications regulating work on SSRR manufacture at the Institute of Nuclear Physics; personnel preparation and certification; preparation and equipment providing of reactor hot chambers by additional devices for work with irradiated iridium samples; development and manufacturing of the devices for iridium samples irradiation in the reactor; measuring of the reactor irradiation doze, choice of the reactor experimental channel and the irradiations time control. Owing to the works carried out in this investigations, it is possible to ke a conclusion that the neutron-physical parameters of the WWR-K factor, personnel and experimental reactor equipment allow to fulfill the SSRR manufacturing for the industrial purposes according to the requirements showed normative documents acting in Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of atomic energy applications