SPM: Devices for certified measurements of radioactivity of shipments with iron scrap at the end point of recovery of metal waste
Project OPKZP-PO1-SC111-2016-16
The project was created in February 2011 with the aim of ensuring the technically and professionally competent operation of monitoring equipment for the purpose of controlling unauthorized trade in radioactive material, controlling the radioactivity of metal scrap as part of the recovery of metal waste and ensuring radiation protection during their transportation.
Currently, the company operates one stationary portal monitor for certified radioactivity measurements of shipments with scrap metal, which is installed at the railway station Bratislava – East (SPM BA-East). As part of the operation of the SPM BA-East, certified measurements of the radioactivity of railway shipments with scrap metal are carried out in accordance with Council Regulation (EU) No. 333/2011 establishing criteria for determining when certain types of metal scrap cease to be waste according to Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (hereinafter referred to as the “Regulation”).
According to the aforementioned regulation, qualified personnel monitor the radioactivity of each shipment. Each scrap shipment must be accompanied by a certificate issued in accordance with national regulations on scrap metal radioactivity monitoring and procedures in the event of radioactivity detection. This certificate should be attached to the other documentation of this shipment and is part of the declaration of conformity of the metal scrap in the state of the end of recovery of metal waste.
The operation of the monitoring device for measuring radioactivity installed at the railway station Bratislava – East is governed by the operating regulations approved as part of the permit for the provision of monitoring of ionizing radiation in transport hubs and during transport, which was issued by the competent authority for radiation protection at the Ministry of Defense of the Slovak Republic (Decision No. 06662/2020 /ÚVHR/3879), since the operation of SPM is carried out on the railway infrastructure of the Slovak Republic.
The system makes it possible to spectrometrically identify individual radionuclides (NID) and thus also the basic classes of emitters (NORM, SNM, PRIEM, MED) according to the standard for spectrometric portals STN EN 62484 – Radiation protection devices. Spectroscopy-based portal monitors used to detect and identify illicit trade in radioactive material.
Since the capacity of this single SMB for the needs of scrap metal recycling in Slovakia was far from sufficient, it was currently necessary to expand the monitoring network for certified measurements of the radioactivity of shipments with scrap metal in important transport hubs of the railway infrastructure. Newly created operations of SPM within the process of metal waste recycling at the end point of recovery in the following railway nodes:
• Košice,
• Zvolen,
• Banská Bystrica,
• Žilina – Teplička nad Váhom,
• Nové Zámky.
Each facility consists of a Stationary Portal Monitor (SPM) for certified radioactivity measurements of scrap metal shipments at the end point prior to their dispatch to ironworks.