An In-Pipe Mercury Assay System--Science and Engineering Associates, Inc., 6100 Uptown Boulevard NE, Suite 700, Albuquerque, NM 87110-4163; (505) 884-2300
Mr. D.T. Kendrick, Principal Investigator
Ms. IIene R. Colina, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG03-98ER82661
Amount: $74,906

Safe, effective and efficient decontamination of DOE's Oak Ridge Y-12 plant piping systems will require a measurement system capable of quantifying the mercury inventory within the piping systems. This system must be able to provide assurance that all of the mercury has been removed by the decontamination process. In this project, an in-pipe mercury assay system will be developed and demonstrated at the Oak Ridge plant. This measurement system will be based on an x-ray fluorescence sensor capable of being deployed into intact piping systems using the patented deployment system. The sensor will provide the radial sensitivity and ability to negotiate elbows necessary for in-pipe measurements. Phase I will define the measurement requirements, evaluate possible irradiation-detector configurations, and develop a conceptual sensor design that can be fully developed into a prototype design during Phase II.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The resulting measurement system would be added to the existing suite of pipe characterization measurement capabilities. In addition to mercury, the system would be useful for measurements of other heavy metals such as lead, thereby benefiting other industries with contaminated piping.