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Nuclear Waste Calorimeter for Very Large Drums With 385 Litres Sample Volume

G. Jossens, C. Mathonat, F.Bachelet

Fusion Science and Technology / Volume 67 / Number 2 / March 2015 / Pages 390-393

Proceedings of TRITIUM 2013 / dx.doi.org/10.13182/FST14-T36

First Online Publication:January 19, 2015
Updated:February 27, 2015

For more than 40 years, large volume calorimeters developed by SETARAM Instrumentation, have been used for nuclear applications including the assay of tritium and plutonium. They have been installed in major nuclear centers all around the world.The calorimeters are used for inventory of nuclear material, or for research.  In 2011 a project was launched to develop a calorimeter for the management of waste in large volume drums. A new calorimeter has been developed by Setaram Instrumentation and the CEA Valduc in France.This new calorimeter is designed for drums having a volume bigger than 100L. It guarantees high operator safety by optimizing drum handling and air circulation for cooling, and optimized software for direct measurement of the quantity of nuclear material.  The system is designed to provide precise measurements independent of environmental conditions.