CAMDICES: automatic chain of measurements of waste of the nuclear facilities in charge of the storage of solids

The system is devoted to the measurement of drums of low and medium activity produced by the CEA SACLAY. Drums sent to the disposal facilities or incinerated. The system is managed by an automate and a supervisory PC. The convoying of drums and the measurements are entirely automated. The chain is specialized in the treatment of drums of 200 liters. It works operate continuously with a rate of 25 drums per day. The drums are identified by the reading of a bar code. The GAMMA spectrometry is based on a measurement of the correction of inner material (μρ experimental) of the drum with a source of transmission (152Eu). If this measurement is not significant, (drum too dense), the correction is performed using the apparent density (μρ given by handbooks). The performances of the chain allow to reach, with a measurement lasting 30 minutes, limits of detection included in 10-2 Bq/g (60Co, vinyl packing material of 50 kg) to some Bq/g (241Am, steel packing material of 80 kg). The measurement is carried out with a package in rotation at a distance of 1.2 m from the center of the package. The chain is calibrated in efficiency once a year, and energy resolution once a month. Each month, a particular drum (vacuum, air), measured on the chain. A test of correct operation that checks the various calibrations (efficiency, energy, resolution), and the white noise is realized. (authors)