BASED ON HEAT RELEASE MONITORING: A DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM

THE PROPOSED PROGRAM CONSISTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TECHNIQUE AND A SYSTEM TO MEASURE THE RADIOACTIVE DECAY OF OF RADWASTE CONTAINED IN STORAGE CANISTERS, CASKS AND VAULTS. THE SYSTEM BEING CONSIDERED DEALS WITH THE DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF THE AFTERHEAT BEING GENERATED IN THE RADWASTEVOLUMES. THE SYSTEM TO BE USED TO ACCOMPLISH SUCH MEASURE MENTS CONSISTS OF A HEAT FLUX SENSOR ENVELOPE THAT SURROUNDSA RADWASTE STORAGE CONTAINER SO THAT ALL HEAT BEING GENERATED WITHIN THE RADWASTE IS ACCURATELY MONITORED AS IT FLOWS THROUGH SUCH A SENSOR EENVELOPE. THE ENVELOPE ALSO CONTAINS A CALIBRATION HEATER SYSTEM SO THAT THE CALIBRATIONCONSTANT (RATE OF HEAT RELEASE PER MILLIVOLT OUTPUT SIGNAL) FOR THIS MONITORING SYSTEM CAN BE DETERMINED A VERIFIED AT ANY TIME. THE MILLIVOLT OUTPUT SIGNAL GENERATED BY THE HEAT FLUX ENVELOPE IS RECORDED AS A FUNCTION OF TIME. A SERIES OF RADWASTE HEAT RELEASE DEMONSTRATIONS WOULD BE PERFORMED UTILIZING A SIMULATED RADIOISOTOPE HEAT SOURCE (AN ELECTRICAL HEATER LOCATED IN A CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER; THE CONTAINER WOULD BE POSITIONED UNDERGROUND SIMULATING PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS).