1. Post-Irradiation Material Handling for the 67Cu Production Test Run
Pavel Degtiarenko
(Reviewed and amended by Keith Welch)
Radiation Physics Group at RadCon
April, 2017

2. Charge Items Is the material handling plan appropriate and adhere
to ALARA principals?
to JLab environmental requirements?
Are special emergency response guidelines needed for this beam run? If so are the plans to train Operation staff on these new guidelines adequate?
Does the presence of the activated target require a change in existing emergency response procedures? If yes, are the changes adequate and plans to train appropriate staff in place?
Are there special emergency response procedures and training required for possible mishandling of the activated target? If yes, are the procedures adequate and plans to train appropriate staff in place?

3. Post-Irradiation Material Handling (I)
No material handling until 24 hours after irradiation.
Standard RadCon survey and postings, checks of contamination levels.
Adjustments to the RWP, depending on the results (nothing unusual expected).
Contamination Area – finding contamination after 24 hours would be off-normal, so we would stop and reevaluate the situation.
High Rad Area – Corresponding procedures and monitoring.
Rad Area – Corresponding procedures and monitoring.

4. Post-Irradiation Material Handling (II)
Quick release of the target copper coolers/holders.
Use the long-handled retrieval instrument to take the target (and the cover), place it onto the tray with adhesive Kapton sheet, and move to a convenient place away from the set.
Wrap the target together with the cover in the sheet, and use extra wrapping in adhesive Kapton tape.
Place the wrapped target in the container, tightly close it.
Take the container out to the measurement area to evaluate 67Cu activity.
Properly wrap and place the container into the shipping box.
Quick disconnect and release of the copper cooling station.
Place it into a shielded container and move it to the safe location (location TBD).

5. ALARA
ALARA measures:
Plan to wait 24 hours for decays of short-lived isotopes, to avoid unnecessary High Rad Area work
Engineering solution for quick release of the target holder
Engineering solution for quick release of the activated copper cooling station
Prepared shielded location to store the copper cooling station in the tunnel nearby for decay
Standard RadCon procedures involve ALARA considerations: reviews, RWPs, mock-up training

6. Environmental Requirements
No prompt radiation in the environment produced.
No contaminated water release.
No Airborne radiation outside the Accelerator operations envelope.
Activated target sent to VCU via commercial courier in the proper DOT-approved package using proper procedures.
All activated materials subject to the standard Radiation Controls, not released in the environment.
VCU Rad safety officer to authorize transfer of possession under their license. Disposal not an issue due to 67Cu decay.

7. Accident/Emergency Response
General accidents in the tunnel during irradiation: actions by the Crew Chief according to the OPS Procedures; staff: OPS
(Highly unlikely) target break/gallium spill during the run: gallium will be contained in the copper cooling tray; the cleanup will be subject to RadCon operating procedures (surveys, RWPs); staff: RadCon
(Highly unlikely) target break/gallium spill during the target movement: the procedure will include the requirement that the target must always be above a gallium-intercepting and catching tray or bucket. The cleanup will be subject to RadCon operating procedures (surveys, RWPs, decontamination procedures); staff: RadCon

8. VCU License to Possess 67Cu
Adherence to this limitation will be verified by the post-irradiation gamma-spectroscopy

9. Transporting Irradiated Gallium to VCU
We are working with EH&S division and the Lab’s Shipping and Receiving to ensure environmentally safe transport.
Issues in transporting the material:
Gallium is considered a hazardous material.
The sample is radioactive.

10. DOT Regulation - 49 CFR 173.162(c)
U.N. (D.O.T.) Certified 4G Box.
4G/Y8.3 combination packaging.
Meets all DOT requirements for a gallium (Class 8, Packing Group III) shipment.

11. Proper Packaging
We will pack the Boron Nitride capsule in a steel can which will have foam cushioning.
The can will be shielded to meet the radiation requirements
The box will be multiply lined with heavy duty plastic material.
The package weight will be well below 15 kg
A Safety Data Sheet will be provided by Jennifer Williams
Qualified DOT shippers from EH&S, RadCon and Shipping & Receiving will oversee packaging, provide proper marking/labeling and shipping paperwork.

12. 67Cu disposal
VCU will not return the sample to us. They will manage the material under their license.
67Cu will decay to background in a week or two, and any other residual longer-lived radionuclides will be managed and disposed under VCU license (most likely stored for decay).