Inline Monitors for the SRS Small Column Ion Exchange Process

A Small Column Ion Exchange (SCIX) system, designed by the Oak Ridge and Savannah River National Laboratories (ORNL and SRNL), is a potential way to reduce Cs-137 concentrations in high-level radioactive waste at the Savannah River Site (SRS). SRNL has developed gamma-ray monitors for six locations within the SCIX system to verify the proper operation of the ion exchange system, detect cesium breakthrough, and confirm the presence of cesium before and after used resin is transferred to a grinder module. Two sodium iodide breakthrough monitors, one Geiger-Mueller breakthrough monitor, and three Geiger-Mueller transfer monitors were used. The present work provides a means of measuring the Cs-137 and Ba-137m breakthrough by taking multiple measurements in a process flow diversion and isolation loop. A lead shield was used for the NaI detectors, and the aperture of the collimator tube in this shield was designed using Monte Carlo analyses to provide the desired count rate for the gamma rays of interest. A computer program was written to collect data from the process monitors, provide alarm notification, and plot the data for ease of operation