Development of Radiotracer Techniques in Industry

Contribution of radiotracer techniques to solve problems in industrial process plants have been recognized since a long time. Radiotracer application was governed by three main components, namely radioisotopes, radiation detection and data interpretation of an experiment. The three main components mentioned above have been continually developed to overcome problems relating to the operation of industrial process plants. The availability of isotope generator is one of the development aspect in radiotracer technique. Radiation hazard in radiotracer experiment may be reduced by applying isotope generator and on the other hand the delivery of radiotracer to the plant site from the radioisotopes producer was made easier. The development of microprocessor in computer system has facilitated data recording, storing and retrieving. Development in mathematical model supported by radiotracer experiment enhance data interpretation and shed light on various phenomena of flow process. Generally a flow dynamic in a process plant in all kind of industries can be studied using radiotracer technique. However the main challenge coming from petroleum, petrochemical and mineral processing industries