SIST EN ISO 19017:2017

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN ISO 19017:2017
01-maj-2017
Navodilo za merjenje gama spektrometrije radioaktivnih odpadkov (ISO
19017:2015)
Guidance for gamma spectrometry measurement of radioactive waste (ISO 19017:2015)
Leitfaden für gammaspektrometrische Messungen von radioaktivem Abfall (ISO
19017:2015)
Lignes directrices pour le mesurage de déchets radioactifs par spectrométrie gamma
(ISO 19017:2015)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN ISO 19017
ICS:
13.030.30 Posebni odpadki Special wastes
17.240 Merjenje sevanja Radiation measurements
27.120.30 Cepljivi materiali in jedrska Fissile materials and nuclear
gorivna tehnologija fuel technology
oSIST prEN ISO 19017:2017 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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oSIST prEN ISO 19017:2017
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 19017
First edition
2015-12-15
Guidance for gamma spectrometry
measurement of radioactive waste
Lignes directrices pour le mesurage de déchets radioactifs par
spectrométrie gamma
Reference number
ISO 19017:2015(E)
©
ISO 2015

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ISO 19017:2015(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2015, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
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Tel. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 749 09 47
copyright@iso.org
www.iso.org
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Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Terms and definitions . 1
3 Application . 7
3.1 General . 7
3.2 Typical applications . 7
4 Measurement equipment . 8
4.1 General . 8
4.2 Open detector geometry . 8
4.3 Collimated detector geometry .10
4.4 Components of gamma measurement system .13
4.4.1 Mechanical equipment.13
4.4.2 Radiation detection equipment .14
4.4.3 Data acquisition and analysis unit .14
4.4.4 Electrical control .14
4.4.5 Additional equipment . .14
5 Calibration .14
5.1 General .14
5.2 Peak energy and shape calibration of the gamma spectrometry system .15
5.3 Efficiency calibration of the gamma spectrometry system .15
5.4 Attenuation correction techniques .18
6 Data evaluation .18
6.1 Data processing steps.18
6.2 Calculation of net peak count rates .19
6.3 Calculation of gamma activity inventory of the waste package .20
6.4 Calculation of measurement uncertainty .20
6.5 Calculation of detection limit.21
7 Quality assurance .23
7.1 General .23
7.2 Record of calibration, validation, and waste measurements .23
7.3 Documentation and procedures .24
7.4 Quality control .24
7.5 Competence .25
Annex A (informative) Examples of application of the techniques and methods discussed
within this International Standard .26
Bibliography .47
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Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 85, Nuclear energy, nuclear technologies, and
radiological protection, Subcommittee SC 5, Nuclear fuel cycle.
This first edition of ISO 19017 cancels and replaces ISO 14850-1:2006, which, in particular, did not
take into account segmented measurements performed with collimators, the possible use of numerical
simulation for calibration and uncertainty assessment, and gamma radiation detectors other than high-
purity germanium semiconductors.
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Introduction
A variety of non-destructive assay techniques are routinely used within the nuclear industry to
measure or provide information to otherwise enable quantification of the radionuclide inventory of
packages containing radioactive materials. This International Standard specifically considers gamma
spectrometry measurements made on packages containing radioactive waste.
The methods and techniques discussed within this International Standard find application in the
routine assay of various types of radioactive waste, packaged in a variety of ways, employing a variety
of container sizes, and types. They range from basic techniques, which have been in use for many years,
through to state of the art techniques that have been developed because of the increasing variety and
forms being assayed and the demands to satisfy increasingly challenging performance criteria.
Where guidance is provided, this is viewed as best current practice and is based on experience of
operating quantitative gamma spectrometry measurement systems, within a variety of applications,
for the purpose of providing radionuclide identification and activity information.
The objective of this International Standard is to promote a consistent approach to gamma spectrometry
measurements made on packages containing radioactive waste.
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oSIST prEN ISO 19017:2017
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 19017:2015(E)
Guidance for gamma spectrometry measurement of
radioactive waste
1 Scope
This International Standard is applicable to gamma radiation measurements on radioactive waste.
Radioactive waste can be found in different forms and exhibit a wide range of characteristics, including
the following:
— raw or unconditioned waste, including process waste (filters, resins, control rods, scrap, etc.) and
waste from dismantling or decommissioning;
— conditioned waste in various forms and matrices (bitumen, cement, hydraulic binder, etc.);
— very low level (VLLW), low level (LLW), intermediate level (ILW) and high level radioactive waste
(HLW);
— different package shapes: cylinders, cubes, parallelepipeds, etc.
Guidance is provided in respect of implementation, calibration, and quality control. The diversity of
applications and system realizations (ranging from research to industrial systems, from very low
level to high level radioactive waste, from small to large volume packages with different shapes, with
different performance requirements and allowable measuring time) renders it impossible to provide
specific guidance for all instances; the objective of this International Standard is, therefore, to establish
a set of guiding principles. Ultimately, implementation is to be performed by suitably qualified and
experienced persons and based on a thorough understanding of the influencing factors, contributing
variables and performance requirements of the specific measurement application.
This International Standard assumes that the need for the provision of such a system will have
been adequately considered and that its application and performance requirements will have been
adequately defined through the use of a structured requirements capture process, such as data quality
objectives (DQO).
It is noted that, while outside the scope of this International Standard, many of the principles,
measurement methods, and recommended practices discussed here are also equally applicable to
gamma measurements of items other than radioactive waste (e.g. bulk food, water, free-standing piles
of materials) or to measurements made on radioactive materials contained within non-traditional
packages (e.g. in transport containers).
2 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
NOTE Definitions presented here are confined mainly to those terms not defined in common nuclear
material glossaries or whose use is specific to this document. Important key terms are repeated here for the
convenience of the reader.
2.1
assay
procedure to determine quantitatively the amount of one or more radionuclides of interest
contained in a package
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2.2
attenuation
physical process based on interaction between a radiation source and matter placed in the path of the
radiation that results in a decrease in the intensity of the emitted radiation
Note 1 to entry: Attenuation experienced in non-destructive assay (NDA)(2.27) of waste packages includes self-
attenuation (2.37) by the radioactive material itself as well as attenuation effects in the waste matrix (2.23),
internal barrier(s) and external container(s).
2.3
attenuation correction factor
used to correct (compensate) for the effect of attenuation within an NDA measurement equal to the
ratio between the un-attenuated and the attenuated radiation flux
Note 1 to entry: After attenuation correction the measured quantity is considered to be representative of the un-
attenuated activity of the radioactive substance assayed.
2.4
bias
estimate of a systematic measurement error
2.5
calibration standard
primary standard
designated or widely acknowledged as having the highest metrological qualities and whose value is
accepted without reference to other standards of the same quantity
Note 1 to entry: The calibration standard should be physically, radiologically, and chemically similar to the items
to be assayed, for which the activity of the radionuclide(s) of interest and all relevant properties to which the
measurement technique is sensitive are known with sufficient accuracy.
[SOURCE: www.french-metrology.com]
2.6
calibration
set of operations that establish, under specific conditions, the relationship between values of quantities
indicated by a measuring system, or values represented by a material measure or a reference material
and the corresponding values realized by Standards
Note 1 to entry: The result of a calibration permits either the assignment of values of measurands to the
indications or the determination of indications with respect to indications.
Note 2 to entry: A calibration may also determine other metrological properties such as the effect of
influence quantities.
Note 3 to entry: The result of a calibration may be recorded in a document, sometimes called a calibration
certificate or a calibration report.
[SOURCE: www.french-metrology.com]
2.7
collimation
method to restrict the field of view of the detector to specific parts of the item to be measured
Note 1 to entry: A shield around the side of the detector that still allows the detector to view the entire item is
technically not a collimator. Such shielding does not change the efficiency of the detector due to its presence.
2.8
collimator
device for collimating the radiation beam, usually constructed from highly attenuating material(s) such
as tungsten or lead. Collimators can be of parallel wall type or divergent
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2.9
collimated (detection) geometry
measurement configuration where only a part of a waste package can contribute to the response of the
detection system
Note 1 to entry: The whole activity is measured by scanning the entire package, or by assuming that the part
of the package within the detector’s field of view during one or more measurements is representative of the
entire package.
2.10
compton continuum
continuous pulse amplitude spectrum due to Compton electrons released in a detector
Note 1 to entry: The full-energy peaks are superimposed to this continuum and their “net areas” are determined
by subtracting the average Compton level estimated below each peak, as detailed in ISO 11929 for instance.
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-395:2014]
2.11
container
vessel into which the waste form (2.41) is placed for handling, transport, storage and/or eventual disposal
Note 1 to entry: Also the outer barrier protecting the waste from external intrusions.
[SOURCE: IAEA Radioactive Waste Management Glossary 2003 Edition]
2.12
coverage factor
although the combined standard deviation is used to express the uncertainty of many measurement
results, for some commercial, industrial, and regulatory applications (e.g. when health and safety
are concerned), what is often required is a measure of uncertainty that defines an interval about the
measurement result within which the value of the measurand can be confidently asserted to lie
Note 1 to entry: The measure of uncertainty intended to meet this requirement is termed expanded uncertainty
and is obtained by multiplying the standard deviation by a coverage factor, suggested symbol k. In general, the
value of the coverage factor k is chosen on the basis of the desired level of confidence to be associated with the
interval within which the true value is supposed to lie.
[SOURCE: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Uncertainty/coverage.html]
2.13
data quality objectives process
DQO
seven stage requirements capture process used to determine the type, quantity, and quality of data
needed to support a decision
Note 1 to entry: The purpose of this process (published by the US Environmental Protection Agency) is to
provide general guidance to organizations on developing data quality criteria and performance specifications for
decision making.
2.14
dead time
non-operative time of the detection system during the measurement period
Note 1 to entry: The length of time, directly following an instance of detection, associated with signal processing,
during which the system is not able to process further gamma events. This is a system performance parameter
which is usually expressed as a percentage of the measurement period. The measured counts would be less than
the actual counts due to the dead time and hence needs to be corrected.
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2.15
decision threshold
DT
value of the estimator of the measurand, which when exceeded by the result of an actual measurement
using a given measurement procedure of a measurand quantifying a physical effect, one decides that
the physical effect is present
Note 1 to entry: The decision threshold is defined, such that in cases, where the measurements result, y, exceeds
the decision threshold, y*, the probability that the true value of the measurand is zero is less or equal to a chosen
probability, α.
Note 2 to entry: If the result, y, is below the decision threshold, y*, the result cannot be attributed to the physical
effect; nevertheless it cannot be concluded that it is absent.
[SOURCE: ISO 11929:2010, 3.6]
2.16
detection geometry
describe the extent of detector collimation with respect to the item to be measured
Note 1 to entry: Two principle assay configurations are distinguished in this guideline: collimated geometry and
open geometry.
2.17
detection limit
DL
smallest true value of the measurand which ensures a specified probability of being detectable by the
measurement procedure
Note 1 to entry: With the decision threshold defined above, the detection limit is the smallest true value of the
measurand for which the probability of wrongly deciding that the true value of the measurand is zero is equal to
a specified value, β, when, in fact, the true value of the measurand is not zero.
[SOURCE: ISO 11929:2010, 3.7]
2.18
emission computed tomography
ECT
NDA method which allows the distribution of nuclide activity to be determined within sections of the
waste package
Note 1 to entry: The technique is based upon the measurement spectra from segments of the waste matrix which
the detector views through a collimator. In order to obtain accurate results, it is necessary to know the matrix
density distribution within the section (or in 3D), typically by Transmission Computed Tomography (TCT) (2.38).
Note 2 to entry: ECT is also referred to as Tomographic Gamma Scanning (TGS) (2.39).
2.19
full-energy peak
peak of the gamma spectrum corresponding to the complete deposition of the energy of a photon
emitted by a radionuclide
Note 1 to entry: No energy loss has occurred by photon interaction in the waste package or by the escape of
secondary photons from the detector following the interaction(s) of the primary photon leading to its detection.
2.20
full width at half maximum
FWHM
width of a gamma-ray peak at half of the maximum of the peak distribution
Note 1 to entry: This parameter is used to describe energy resolution. FWHM is often quoted when defining
detector performance (e.g. FWHM for a given energy, such as 662 keV). FWHM can be given in energy units (e.g.
keV) or in % if normalized to the gamma-ray energy.
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2.21
intrinsic detection efficiency
number of counts in the full-energy peak (2.19) at a given energy E (net area after subtraction of the
Compton continuum and other sources of background in the gamma spectrum) divided by the number
of photons at that energy that enter the detector
2.22
live time
difference between the measurement period and the dead-time
2.23
matrix
waste matrix
non-radioactive materials inside a waste package (2.29) in which the radioactive substances are dispersed
2.24
measurand
particular quantity subject to measurement
[SOURCE: ISO 11929:2010, 3.2]
2.25
measurement accuracy
closeness of agreement between a measured quantity value and a true quantity value of a measurand
2.26
measurement period
time frame over which the measurement is made
2.27
non-destructive assay
NDA
procedure based on the observation of spontaneous or stimulated nuclear radiation, interpreted to
estimate the content of one or more radionuclides in the item which is under investigation, without
affecting the physical or chemical form of the material
2.28
open (detection) geometry
measurement configuration where all parts of a waste package (2.29) can contribute to the response of
the detection system
2.29
package
waste package
product of conditioning that includes the waste form (2.41) and any container(s) and internal barriers
[SOURCE: ISO 12749-3:2015, 3.5.2]
2.30
precision
statistical precision
generic term used to describe the dispersion of a set of measured values under reproducible
measurement conditions
2.31
radioactive waste
material for which no further use is foreseen that contains or is contaminated with radionuclides
[SOURCE: ISO 12749-3:2015, 3.7.1]
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2.32
radioactivity
phenomenon whereby atoms undergo spontaneous random disintegration, usually accompanied by the
emission of radiation
[SOURCE: IAEA Radioactive Waste Management Glossary 2003 Edition]
2.33
radionuclide
nucleus (of an atom) that possesses properties of spontaneous disintegration (radioactivity (2.32))
Note 1 to entry: Nuclei are distinguished by their mass and atomic number.
[SOURCE: IAEA Radioactive Waste Management Glossary 2003 Edition]
2.34
scanning profile
distribution of recorded system responses as a function of successive scan positions
2.35
segment (gamma) spectrum
emission gamma spectrum collected from only a part of a waste package (2.29)
2.36
segmented gamma scanning
SGS
procedure to measure one or more segment spectra (2.35) of a waste package
Note 1 to entry: Segmented gamma scanning requires the use of a collimated detection geometry (2.9). There are
several manifestations of SGS which are currently in use. For this International Standard we distinguish vertical,
horizontal and angular scanning, see Figure 3, which can be combined or used partly (in practice SGS usually
refers to the combination of vertical scanning and continuous rotation).
— vertical scanning [see Figure 3 a)] consists in acquiring vertically segmented gamma spectra representative
of stacked slices of the package. The mechanical movement can be step-by-step, with an acquisition for each
slice, or continuous with a time-segmented acquisition (mechanics is simpler and measurement time is
shorter, but interpretation is more complex). Vertical scanning is most commonly used in combination with
continuous rotation.
— horizontal scanning [see Figure 3 b)], is most commonly used in combination with angular and vertical
scanning for TGS, and also for objects without rotational symmetry in combination with vertical scanning.
— angular scanning [see Figure 3 c)], is rarely used alone but as part of TGS systems. This can be functionally
accomplished with a single detector or multiple detectors to limit acquisition time (as shown), and with step
rotation or continuous rotation with timely segmented acquisition.
2.37
self-attenuation
self-absorption
attenuation of the gamma radiation in a nuclear material itself (like Pu or U)
Note 1 to entry: This effect is here distinguished from the attenuation of the gamma radiation in nonnuclear
materials like the waste matrix, internal shields, container, external shields, collimators, etc.
2.38
transmission computed tomography
TCT
gamma or X-ray transmission technique to determine the matrix density distribution within sections
of the waste package, by angular and horizontal scanning, as for ECT and in 3D with an additional
vertical scanning
Note 1 to entry: 3D densitometry allows more accurate corrections for attenuation of gamma radiation within
non-uniform matrices.
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Note 2 to entry: Both in ECT and TCT, 2D sections can be reconstructed by angular and horizontal scanning,
and the complete 3D information can be obtained by superimposing the slices vertically or by performing a
continuous helical scan.
2.39
tomographic gamma scanning
TGS
typically a combination of emission computed tomograph
...