Sealed Sources and DSRS Management National Atomic Energy Commission Report from Argentina By Thomas Viscovich

1. SEALED SOURCES AND DSRS
MANAGEMENT
Report from Argentina
Thomas Viscovich
National Program for Radioactive Waste Management
National Atomic Energy Commission
Interregional Training Course on Regulatory and Operational Aspects
for the Management of DSRS
Vienna, Austria
26 February – 2 March, 2018

2. 2
PERSONAL PRESENTATION
EXPERIENCE
 Radiation Protection Officer.
 Responsible for the radiological supervision of the tasks
related to the management of radioactive waste, sealed
radioactive sources and transport of spent nuclear fuel.
 Responsible for the environmental, occupational and
facilities monitoring.
 Experience in analysis and characterization of radioactive
wastes with gamma spectrometry.

3. 2 NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
1 NUCLEAR POWER SHUT DOWN
6 RESEARCH REACTORS
2 IRRADIATION PLANTS
1 HEAVY WATER PRODUCTION PLANT
2 URANIUM MINING
4 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
1 URANIUM DIOXIDE PRODUCTION PLANT
376 INDUSTRY FACILITIES USING
RADIOACTIVE SOURCES
3 ATOMIC CENTERS
1 TECHNOLOGY CENTER
3 NUCLEAR MEDICINE SCHOOLS
68 COBALT THERAPY CENTERS
57 BRACHYTERAPY CENTERS
309 NUCLEAR MEDICINE CENTERS
45 LINEAR ACCELERATORS
408 RADIOIMMUNOASSAY LABORATORIES
NUCLEAR ACTIVITY IN ARGENTINA
3

4. WASTE SOURCES IN ARGENTINA
4
- Atucha l
- Atucha ll
- Embalse
- Uranium mining.
- Uranium conversion and
sintering.
- Fuel elements manufacturing.
- Research reactors.
- Radioisotopes production.
- Medical applications.
- Radioisotopes industrial
uses.
77%
11%
12%
NUCLEAR
POWER
PLANTS
FUEL
CYCLE
NON
FUEL
CYCLE

5. MAIN NUCLEAR ORGANIZATIONS
o Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN)
Responsible for regulation and control.
o National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA)
CNEA is an Argentinian governmental agency who's mission is the development and
control of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in Argentina.
Responsible for:
• Radioactive Waste Management .
• Spent Nuclear Fuel Management .
• Decommissioning of all Nuclear Facilities.
o Nucleoelectrica Argentina S.A. (NA-SA)
Responsible for the operation and construction of the NPP’s.
Main radioactive waste generator.
5

6. 6
Argentina has a regulatory system for the control of radioactive
sources (in use as well as in disuse).
In respect of this, the main standards issued by the Nuclear Regulatory
Authority (ARN) are:
 Standard AR 10.1.1: “Basic Radiological Safety Standard”
 Standard AR 7.9.1: "Operation industrial radiography
projectors"
 Standard AR 7.9.2: "Operation of radiation sources for
industrial applications"
 Standard AR 8.2.3: "Operation teletherapy facilities“
 Standard AR 10.13.2: "Security Standard for Sealed Sources"
 Standard AR 10.13.1: “Security of Nuclear Material and
Facilities“
For the transportation of sources, in addition to the radiological safety
measures, extra physical security measures are applied, to prevent or
adopt corrective actions in case of fraudulent acts involving sources with
activities above a reference value.
 Standard AR 10.16.1: "Transport of Radioactive Material"
LEGAL AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

7. 7
LEGAL AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
• Through the national Law Nº 25.018, Argentina has the
obligation to develop a Strategic Plan for Radioactive Waste
Management.
• According to the last Strategic Plan (2014 version), a Deep
Geological Repository must be operative by the year 2060.
• Near surface repositories for very low and low level waste are
planned to be in operation by 2030.

8. 8
NATIONAL POLICY AND STRATEGY
FOR DSRS MANAGEMENT IN
ARGENTINA

9. 9
NATIONAL POLICY AND STRATEGY FOR
DSRS MANAGEMENT IN ARGENTINA
• The CNEA, through the National Program for Radioactive
Waste Management, is responsible for the final disposal of
the radioactive waste management.
• The CNEA, through the PNGRR, carries out the safe
management of radioactive sources.
• The PNGRR is responsible for the transport of sealed
radioactive sources from the user’s installation to the Ezeiza
Waste Management (AGE), according to standards of
transport established by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE
MANAGEMENT

10. • Disposal of LLW.
• Storage of ILW and disused sealed
sources.
• Storage of research reactor spent
fuels
• Treatment and conditioning of
nuclear waste.
AGE
Ezeiza Waste
Management
Area
Buenos Aires
10

11. 11
STATUS OF RADIOACTIVE
SOURCES IN ARGENTINA

12. 12
STATUS OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN
ARGENTINA
• It is located in Buenos Aires, at Ezeiza
Waste Management (AGE).
• It has Operation License since 1995.
• Nowadays, disused radioactive
sources remain stored at the Interim
Storage Facility.
• It is not used only for DSRS.
Other types of very low and low level
radioactive waste generated in
Atomic Centers and Nuclear Power
Plants of Buenos Aires, are stored in
this facility.
Interim Storage Facility for Sources and
Radioactive Waste (DAIFRR)

13. 13
STATUS OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN
ARGENTINA

14. 14
STATUS OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN
ARGENTINA
• Sealed radioactive sources
are stored in numbered
shelves, with their
respectives shields.
• The sources are identified by
labels with a bar code.
• The information of the
sources (user, generator,
emmision, etc) is stored in a
database.

15. 15
STATUS OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN
ARGENTINA
SOURCES INVENTORY
Category 1
Typical uses
Irradiators
Teletherapy
Gamma Knife machine

16. 16
Category 2
Typical uses
Industrial Gamma Radiography
Brachytherapy (HDR / MDR)
STATUS OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN
ARGENTINA

17. 17
Category 3
Typical uses
High activity industrial gauges
(moisture / density gauges / fixed
industrial gauges, etc.)
Well logging
STATUS OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN
ARGENTINA

18. 18
Category 4 - 5
Typical uses
Low activity gauges
Static eliminators
Electron capture devices
Lighthing preventers, etc.
STATUS OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN
ARGENTINA

19. 19
STATUS OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES IN
ARGENTINA
Argentina stores a higher quantity of industrial sources than sources for medical uses.

20. 20
SECURITY & SAFETY IN
THE INTERIM STORAGE
FACILITY

21. 21
SECURITY & SAFETY
• To access the Interim Storage Facility it is necessary to
provide a minimum of two workers: one of them must be a
Radiation Protection Officer.
• Radiological monitorings are carried out every months.
• About Security Systems, the facility has:
 Access control
 Alarm systems
 Infrared sensors
 Surveillance cameras

22. 22
PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS
• Currently, disused radioactive sources remain stored at the Interim
Storage Facility, awaiting a decision about which will be the best
way to manage them.
• The construction of a new facility for the storage of DSRS is not
planned. The Interim Storage Facility has enough room to store
radioactive sources for several years.
• Argentina does not have a site for Final Disposal of DSRS.

23. 23
ARGENTINA’S CHALLENGES
 Optimize the storage systems available through the
REUSING/RECYCLING and REPATRIATION of DSRS.
 Study and incorporate new technologies about how to store
radioactive sources.
 Continue training staff related to:
• Characterization and categorization of SRS.
• Design of final disposal system of DSRS.
• Design of facilities for storage radioactive waste.

24. 24
FINAL CONCLUSIONS
 Argentina has joined this project in 2016.
The activities carried out by IAEA related to this project, are
considered to be implemented and in this manner improve
our activities.
 In order for nuclear activity to be susteintable, it is
necessary to give solutions to the management of nuclear
waste.
 Argentina needs a Final Disposal System for DSRS and
Repositories for low, medium and high level radioactive
waste.

25. 25
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
viscovich@cae.cnea.gov.ar
www.cnea.gov.ar