General Points:
Only the MARS beamline of the synchrotron SOLEIL is authorized to receive radioactive samples. Only samples under sintered, metallic, bulk or liquid form can enter on the site to be analyzed on the MARS beamline. Currently, only experiments at ambient pressure and temperatures are accepted; no in situ physico-chemical modification of the sample, is accepted (this implies that no process waste discharge is accepted).
Maximum of activity:
At SOLEIL, a PROPOSAL (and not a sample), cannot currently exceed 1/3 (= 1/3 of the exemption threshold) of the value presented in the following table (in french): "tableau A de l'ANNEXE 13-8 - seuils d’exemption pour l’application de l’article R.1333-18 et niveaux d'activité définissant une source scellée de haute activité pour l'application de l'article R.1333-33".
So, per proposal, a pure radionuclide has to respect one of these two following conditions:
1) the quantity of pure radionuclide should not exceed 1/3 of the exemption threshold given in the table (column 2); whatever is the value of the activities concentration of the radionuclide;
2) The concentration per mass unit of the radionuclide should not exceed the exemption threshold defined in the table (column 3) as far as the masses of substances involved are at the maximum equal to 300 kg.
In the case of a radionuclides mixture, the "Q" ratio will not be allowed to exceed 0,33. For reminder, the"Q" ratio is used in the cases of mixtures of nuclides:
where:
Ai is the total activity (in Bq) of the radionuclide
Aexi is the activity exemption threshold of the radionuclide
A strict schedule and the real-time holding of an inventory by MARS beamline thus imply the declaration of the activities (massic and total) by isotopes of all the samples brought on the site. The information should be given at the latest one month before the beginning of the experiment.
Packaging:
Samples will be conditioned under double confinement for whatever kind of exposure (irradiation or contamination). This confinement will be the object of a tightness study in the envisaged experimental conditions which will be transmitted beforehand to SOLEIL’s radioprotection group.
The equivalent dose rate of the sample (and, if not, of the samples holder) in its confinement, outside the transport package, must be specified, in the contact and at 1 m, without shielding and with shielding. The calculations of sizing of the shielding (who will have to follow the radioprotection optimization principle) will be transmitted to SOLEIL’s radioprotection group. It is to note that certain parts of the manipulation and experiment rooms of the MARS beamline can be occasionally classified as controlled area (yellow maximum). It is recalled here that any zone outside the MARS beamline (in the experimental hall) has to remain a non regulated area.
Transport:
The samples:
- will be sent to the SOLEIL site to the attention of SOLEIL’s radioprotection group (“SRP de SOLEIL”) which will realize a radiological control,
- then transferred on the MARS beamline for the experiment.
The return transport of the samples to the laboratory of origin will be organized by the user but, as is defined by the regulations, under the responsibility of the SOLEIL’s radioprotection group. For this reason, it is asked to the users to specify the fractions of the A1 and A2 values necessary for the preparation of each parcel of the return transport (for information, in french: see chapter IV of the IAEA prescriptions). Samples analyzed at SOLEIL will leave SOLEIL in the shortest delay following the end of the experiment (proposal) (if possible, this will not exceed 2 weeks). No sample will be considered as "waste" to be managed by SOLEIL.
The transport of the samples will be organized so that their on-site reception is made on Monday between 8:30 am and 1:30 pm, at least 2 weeks before the beginning of the experiment (for an earlier sending, get closer to the person in charge of MARS). The equivalent dose rates will of course have to observe the current regulations (named “transport-ADR” order).
Conditions of manipulation:
No sample will be allowed to be prepared at SOLEIL. The manipulations of samples (exit from the safe, preparation, internal transfer, set-up on the analysis station) will be made, in the presence of 2 persons, of which one employee of SOLEIL at least, on Wednesdays from 1:30 pm till 4:00 pm and on Thursdays and Fridays from 8:30 am till 4:00 pm.
Samples declaration:
In the sample declaration form, the data for each radionuclide (mass, activity,…) must be clearly specified.
The name(s) of the radionuclide(s) will be specified, for each sample, in the following way: the chemical symbol (first letter in capital letter, the second letter in small letter) + the number of mass + if necessary the symbol "m" meaning " metastable " character or "+" or "sec" if it concerns a father radionuclide in balance with child nuclides, the whole without space (Ex: U238, Ag110m).
Please note that if several samples are on the same sample holder, every sample must be individually declared. However, all the data concerning the sample holder can be automatically transferred on every new individual sample declaration form (by clicking on [use as model]), so that the data capture concerning the sample holder is made only once.
It is strongly advised to the user to get in touch with the Competent Person in Radioprotection on which he depends for opinion and advice. In particular, it is to note that the classification of the user (not exposed workers or nuclear workers in category A or B) has to observe the regulations.
All these experiments, involving radionuclides, will systematically be classified red.
Last update: July 2009
