Fiber Optically Coupled Raman Telescope for the In Situ Standoff Characterization of Residual Wastes

Stored nuclear waste must be retrieved from storage tanks, treated, separated into low- and high-level waste streams, and finally put into a disposal form that effectively encapsulates the waste and isolates it from the environment for a long period of time. However, not all of the waste is effectively removed from the tank during bulk retrieval. Some of the waste remains in the tank bottom and walls, and also in the ancillary piping. Removal of this residual waste is necessary to prevent the remaining waste from possibly leaching into the environment. To achieve this aim, compact, remote detection techniques will be needed to identify the chemical composition of the residual waste, so that appropriate dissolution steps can be implemented for its removal. This project will develop a novel, compact, fiber optic Raman probe with Keplerian telescope focusing and Raman collection front optics, for use as a standoff detection tool for the characterization of residual wastes in nuclear waste storage tanks. The compact size will allow for remote deployment in the tight confines of nuclear waste storage facilities. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee In addition to the DOE application for environmental management, the fiber optic inspection instrument should be useful to the environmental monitoring community as well as to first responders. In Hazmat operations, such a device could be used to characterize hazardous chemicals, such as a chemical spill, at a standoff distance and would provide valuable information for the safe handling or remediation of these chemicals