1. LaSalle County Station
Portable X-Ray
Radiography
John Gumnick
Radiation Protection Superintendent
RPM Working Meeting
Bruce Power
July 15 & 16, 2008

2. Portable X-Ray Radiography
LaSalle County Station
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3. Goals
• Maintain or improve
safe radiography
controls
• Reduce dose
• Maintain quality
• Reduce the exclusion
zones
• Reduce costs
• Take advantage of
new technology
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4. Equipment Used
• XRS-3 Portable X-ray tube
• Powered by a 14v battery
• No dose when not in
operation
• Maximum 6-7 second shot
• Portable (12 pounds)
• Cost per unit is approx 6K
• Remote firing switch
• Easy to use
• Safe to use
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5. RPM Working Meeting - Bruce Power 5

6. Equipment Used
• VMI Digital RT
Processing Station
• No chemicals
• Immediate results
• Phosphor imaging
plates.
• Less dose to expose
plates.
• Email images.
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7. Test Set-Up
• 4 weld mockups made
(1”-4”)
• Pre-job brief conducted
• ALARA brief conducted
• LaSalle RP documented
surveys
• Various shots taken at
mockups
• Shot in the IRSF
(concrete) bldg.
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8. Goals Reviewed
Maintain or improve RT controls
• No dose when unit is not in operation
• Only can fire for 6 second shots
• No cranking or source guide tubes needed.
• Battery can be removed and unit does not operate.
• Remote firing device must be held down to operate,
when released unit shuts down.
• Alarm sounds when unit is in operation.
• Lights flash on generator when unit is in operation.
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9. Goals Reviewed
Lower Dose
• Task completed with two RPTs rather than
15
• Dose from actual radiography source ~0
mrem
• Validated TLD and Ion Chamber response
• Developed operational procedures for field
use
RPM Working Meeting - Bruce Power 9

10. Goals Reviewed
Maintain Quality
• 1-3” pipe requires 2 shots at 99 pulses (12
seconds)
• 4” pipe is at the upper range of applicability.
• Saw the defects that were implanted on test
pieces
• Wall profiling or FAC is the quality reviewed
• ASME shots would still need additional
testing
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11. Goals Reviewed
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12. Goals Reviewed
Reduce Exclusion Zones
• Entire Heater Bay (BWR) does NOT have
to be entirely locked down for this
examination.
• Restriction of turbine floors (PWR) can be
reduced to small controlled areas.
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13. Goals Reviewed
Reduction of Costs
• Without shutting the heater bays down one
day of outage time could potentially be
saved. ($1M/day)
• Reduction of RP coverage. 10-15 personnel
could be reduced to 1 RP technician. $15-
20K each time used.
• Can shoot through insulation and is portable.
Reduction of contractor costs. $1-5K per
joint
• Does not decay like a source. Would last
longer
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14. Goals Reviewed
Technology Improvements
• With the use of this new X-Ray tube and
digital RT system this has great potential
to save dose, money and increase safety
while maintaining the quality that is
needed.
• Purchased two units and implemented for
FAC radiography inspections.
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15. Limitations
• Walkdowns needed for unit applicability.
• Contingency FAC plans for joints we are
not able to access and shoot.
• Unit is fragile. This is why two units
should be available on site.
• Ion-chamber instrumentation is needed to
monitor.
• 4” and above or pipe thickness greater
than 1” is the upper limit of applicability.
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16. L2R11 Results
• 33 FAC radiographs completed in one shift
• Total crew 2 technicians, 4 radiographers
• No reshots needed
• No disruption of scheduled Heater Bay work
during radiography
• Total savings ~750k
• Total dose 12 mrem, essentially the
background dose from 1 shift in the Heater
Bay for 6 people
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