WO2010010218A1

WO2010010218A1 - Method and device for the acquisition, storage and management of radiological measurements taken in a structural element of an apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2010010218A1
Application number: PCT/ES2009/070297
Authority: WO
Inventors: Francesc D'assis Serratosa Casanelles; Santiago Romani Also
Original assignee: Empresa Nacional De Residuos Radiactivos, S.A.
Priority date: 2008-07-23
Filing date: 2009-07-21
Publication date: 2010-01-28
Also published as: ES2352768A1; ES2352768B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for the acquisition, storage and management of radiological measurements taken in a structural element (1) of an apparatus. The radiological measurement capture includes, together with the radiation value, the moment at which the measurement was taken and the absolute geographical position of the point. Subsequently, the measurement is transmitted to an information storage device. The invention also relates to a device (2) for taking said measurements, including a movable base (4) having at least one arm perpendicular to the plane formed by the movable base (4) in which at least one element (7) for measuring radiation values is positioned at a height. In addition, the device includes a transmitting element configured to send the measured radiation values together with the absolute geographical position of the measured point to an information storage device.

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE ACQUISITION. STORAGE AND

MANAGEMENT OF RADIOLOGICAL MEASURES TAKEN IN AN ELEMENT

STRUCTURAL OF AN INSTALLATION

D E S C R I P C I Ó N

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention belongs to the field of methods and devices for characterizing an installation in which there is or has been the presence of radiological radiation. In particular, the invention relates to a method and a device capable of acquiring, storing and managing radiological measurements taken in a structural element of said facilities.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nuclear and radioactive facilities must be monitored for their radiological conditions once they have ceased operation in order to control the radiation level of each of their elements, and be able to schedule or carry out planned decommissioning tasks .

The measurements must be carried out throughout the installation, which includes floors, walls, ceilings and other elements of the structure of the installation. In each of the elements of the installation, a plurality of measures must be practiced in order to be able to characterize the element radiologically. Given the multitude of elements, and that the number of measures that are carried out at

Over time, the total number of measures that must be managed can reach the order of millions of data.

Two aspects are the most relevant in this problem. The first of these is the collection of samples. This can be carried out manually, but this would entail a high cost given the number of measures to be taken, as well as a possible risk for the personnel that performs the measurement, due to the difficult access to some of the positions where it is carried out . In the same way, in each of the measures carried out on the same element it is possible that the characterization of the element is not carried out in the same way, and monitoring may be difficult of the evolution of the element. On the other hand, the significant volume of data requires a data acquisition system or process that facilitates the management of said data, helping to group or associate each measure with the structural element, and position within the structural element, in which You have done this measurement.

Some of the solutions given to these two problems are included in the following US patents or patent applications: US 5324948, US 5936240 and US 2004/0232323.

US 5324948 refers to a robot capable of radiological measurements, being able to avoid possible objects along the way.

US 5936240 corresponds to an evolution of the invention defined in the previous patent. Finally, patent application US 2004/0232323 discloses a manual device for measuring radiation and locating said measured data. None of the previous patents includes an automatic system that allows automated obtaining and subsequent integration into a database of radiation values, said values integrating the position and the moment in which the measurement has been carried out.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates, in a first aspect, to a method for the acquisition, storage and management of radiological measurements taken in a structural element of an installation. A structural element may be understood as any flat or smooth part of a floor, a wall, a ceiling, an element embedded in said floor, wall or ceiling, or a part of an installation. By piece we understand elements of great size and weight that cannot be displaced or moved from their placement in the installation, so they must be characterized in the position they occupy. Therefore, in the case of a column defined by four planes, each of the planes will be a structural element, and not the column as such. This installation may be, for example, a nuclear power plant in the process of closure. Said measures will allow observing the process of attenuation of the radiation that occurs inside said central.

According to the invention, said method comprises a series of stages. The first of these is to acquire at least one radiation value from one point of the structural element of the installation. The radiological measurement will integrate, in addition to the radiation value, the moment in which the measurement has been carried out. The absolute geographical position of the measuring point is also associated with the radiation value. The absolute geographical position means the latitude, longitude and height of the measuring point. In this way, the stored measurement allows to know the radiation value, at what moment this measurement was taken and in what place. Therefore, various follow-ups of the installation can be carried out by observing the evolution of the measures for the same structural element over time, or the measurements of the installation for each moment.

Once the measurement, with the radiological value, the position and the moment integrated therein, has been captured, said radiological measurement is transmitted to an information storage device. By accessing said information storage device, previous investigations or follow-ups may be carried out.

The method described above for a point may be carried out or repeated as many times as there are measurement points. In this way, information on the entire installation can be collected with the degree of detail that is required.

The data capture can be carried out manually, that is, by technicians who perform the measurement, or automatically, using a device for measuring radiological values. The manual reading will be appropriate for those cases in which the irregularity of the installation or the limited space does not allow access to the device for the measurement of radiological values. In any other type of situation, such as walls, floors or ceilings, smooth and uniform, the device for measuring radiological values will be the preferred means of measuring radiation values.

The transmission of the measurements to an information storage device may be carried out using wireless means. In this way it is possible that the measurements are transferred from the equipment that performs the measurement to a team that manages the storage. Wireless communication, which may be via bluetooth or Wi-Fi, for example, will allow both devices to not be connected by cables, also admitting the possibility that the same storage device can manage the measurements made by more than one measuring device. In this way the treatment is possible centralized data from the beginning.

Additionally, this storage device may be connected to various storage devices of various radiological facilities, so that it is possible to share the data of all of them, being able to model, with the data obtained for each of the facilities, grouping those situations with comparable parameters, the rates of decrease of the total activity, for example.

The transmission of the information may be carried out in real time, so that a person with access to the storage device, or any device connected to it, can check the measures taken and make decisions about the opportunity or not to increase the number of measures, cancel the data collection process given their stability with respect to the previous reading, or include new structural elements to be measured.

The measured radiation values may be alpha and beta / gamma values. The radiation values measured in an instant of a point may be shown in at least one image of the structural element of the installation showing said point, in the absolute geographical position of said point. The radiation measurements, in addition to the radiation values include the moment at which the measurement was taken as well as to what point the measurement corresponds. In the case of an image corresponding to an area or zone containing the measuring point, the method may show the radiation value at that point, using the absolute geographical position values of the point. The images, therefore, must also have their absolute geographical position values associated to be able to correctly position the point in the image. The image, preferably electronically, may be any that represents the structural element or at least a part in which the measurement point is represented. It may be a photograph of the structural element, a sketch thereof, an image generated through the design program of the installation or any other type of image that represents the measurement point. In a second aspect of the invention, this refers to a device for

The measurement of radiological values in a structural element of an installation exposed to radiation. Said device comprises a mobile support, moved, for example, by wheels driven by an electric motor. The mobile support comprises lifting means of a structure in which at least one equipment is located radiation value meter. Said lifting means may be, for example, a telescopic arm that elevates the structure in which the radiation value measuring equipment is located. The structure may include one, two, three or more measuring devices depending on the volume and density of data required. There will also be in the mobile support a transmission equipment configured to send the measured radiation values together with the absolute geographical position of the measured point to an information storage device. The absolute geographical position, as in the previous case, includes data referring to the latitude, longitude and height of the point.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description, where illustrative and non-limiting nature has been represented. next:

Figure 1.- Shows a scheme of the georeferencing process of the structural elements and the storage of this data in a database. Figure 2.- Shows a diagram of the process of data capture by means of the equipment measuring radiation values and storing this data in a database.

Figure 3.- It shows the process that allows combining the data from the databases of radiological measurements and structural elements to obtain the obtained radiation measurements in an image.

Figure 4.- Shows some radiological values measuring equipment.

Figure 5.- Shows a front view of a device for measuring radiological values, in which the lifting means and a structure with two measuring equipment are observed. Figure 6.- Shows a view of a device for measuring radiological values against a structural element, in this case a wall.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Next, with reference to the figures, a preferred embodiment of the method and device (2) for the acquisition, storage and management of radiological measurements taken in a structural element (1) of an installation constituting the object of this is described invention. The invention relates to a method for the acquisition, storage and management of radiological measurements taken in a structural element (1) of an installation. Said method allows to georeference the data of radiological measurements, capture said data and store them in a database of radiological measurements (8) to later be able to show them associated to an image (3) in which the place, wall or structural element is shown ( 1) in which the measurement was made, in the precise position in which it was performed.

The fact of being able to show in a picture (3) a value of a radiological measure requires two independent georeferencing processes. The first one is related to the georeferencing of the structural element (1) of the image (3), that is, if the image (3) is of a wall, to know what absolute geographical position said wall has, that is, its latitude and length This process is represented in Figure 1. On the other hand, in order to locate the measurement of a point on the previous wall, said point must also be georeferenced, so that when taking the radiation measurement, the absolute geographical position of the point is included. This process is illustrated in Figure 2. In this way, the radiological measurement can be shown by comparing the position of the measured point with the positions of the different structural elements stored. This process is shown in Figure 3.

At the time of georeferencing an image (3) of a structural element (1), be it an image (3) generated by a design program of the installation, a photograph, or a sketch, drawn by hand or not, of a structural element (1), the image (3) will be stored with the absolute geographical position of a point of said structural element (1), establishing the correspondence with the corresponding pixel, that is, what specific geographical position corresponds to the pixel of the image (3). This point will be the reference from which the absolute geographical position of the measurement points will be determined. Typically, the selected point will be the most left and bottom point of the structural element (1). For this point it will be possible to determine its exact geographical position based on the plans of the installation and the position exact geographic of any point in the perimeter of said installation.

The method of geo-positioning of the radiological measurements made assumes that the images (3) made do not have any distortion with respect to the original structural element (1), that is, the relationship between the distances between two pairs of different points is the same in the element structural (1) and in the two pairs of homologous pixels in the image (3). In the same way, the angles formed by two lines in the structural element (1) and the two homologous lines in the image (3) will be the same. Finally, a vertical line in the image (3) will correspond to the up-down direction in the structural element (1) or a horizontal line in the image (3) will correspond to the left-right direction in the structural element (one ). In this way, by determining the distance of the measuring point with the selected point as the origin in two directions, the absolute geographical position of the measuring point can be determined directly. Typically, the two directions selected are vertical and horizontal, and the distance between the points and the angle that forms the line that joins them with respect to a known direction can also be used. In said calculation it will be assumed that both the measuring point and the reference point are contained in the plane that forms the structural element (1).

For the position in the image of the measurement point it will be necessary, in addition, a scale factor that relates the distances in the structural element (1) with the pixels in the image (3), that is, how many pixels in the image correspond to one meter, for example, in the structural element (1). With this parameter and with the procedure described in the previous paragraph it will be possible to place in the image (3) any measurement associated with a point of the structural element (1) of an image (3). In the same way, it will be possible to determine to which structural element (1), and therefore to which image (3), each measurement corresponds, using the geographical positions of the radiological measurement and of the structural elements.

Figure 1 shows the reference point, Point 1, referring to an image (3). A georeferencer (10) will relate the two coordinates of said point, the coordinate within the image, that is, the pixel of each point, with the spatial coordinate of the point, that is, its latitude, longitude and height, so that any Posterior radiological measurement can be placed in the image (3). This provides data of a georefected structural element (1 1) that are stored in a database of structural elements (9).

In order to be able to locate the structural element (1) to which the measures practiced correspond, there will be a database of structural elements (9) in which the absolute geographical position thereof will be stored for each structural element (1), it is that is, the position of the point mentioned above as a reference point for the measurements made in said structural element (1), an identifier of the structural element (1), this identifier being able to be a sequential number, such that no two identifiers are the same for two different structural elements, a description of the structural element (1), and other relevant characteristics of the structural element (1), such as the material of which it is made, decontamination actions carried out on it or possible surface treatments carried out finished.

The acquisition or capture of data comprises the measurement of the radiation value of the measuring point by means of a measuring device (7), the geographical location of said measuring point, by means of its latitude, longitude and height using a geographical positioning device (12) , and the moment in which the measurement was made using a clock (13). With these three data, position, radiation levels and time, a record (14) of the measurement taken is created and said record is stored in a database of radiological measurements (8) or samples. In said database (8), the association of the measurement with the structural element (1) or corresponding image (3) is not carried out.

The visualization of the measurements made on a structural element (1), selected by means of its identifier or another stored parameter thereof, which can be uniquely identified, is carried out as follows. The content of the radiological measurement database (8), which contains among other data the absolute geographical position of the measurement points, may be combined with the content of the database of structural elements (9), depending on the position absolute geographic of the structural elements, being able to select at least one image (3) of the structural element (1) from which the measurements made are to be shown, each of the measurements being placed in their real position within the image (3). These readings may be filtered, either by a range of radiation values, or by a time interval. In this way, in a direct and intuitive way it is possible to evaluate the evolution of radiological measures in time and space, since all of them are stored and accessible in the same database. The measurements in the image (3) correspond to the dashed frames of Figure 3, with the radiation values or measurements made within said frames.

The invention also contemplates the possibility of being able to show the current situation of the various radiation sensors in an image (3) of a structural element (1). In this way, the operator located in front of the screen that shows the image (3) will be able to control the operation of the radiation measuring equipment (7) or suggest or order actions to the personnel located in the structural element (1). The radiation value measuring equipment (7) can be operated manually, that is, an operator or technician performs the measurements manually, or automatically, making the measurement through a device (2) for Ia measurement of radiological values in a structural element (1) of an installation exposed to radiation, which will integrate at least one measuring equipment (7) of radiation values. In both cases, the measuring equipment (7) that performs the measurement may be the same, acting manually or automatically. Said measuring equipment (7) incorporates a geographical positioning equipment (12), typically through lasers that limit the position in the two dimensions with respect to the known position of the reference point of the structural element (1) measured in such a way that together with the radiation reading the position of the measuring point is sent. From the distance, or distance, from the vertical and horizontal reference point with respect to the measurement point, since the geographical position of the reference point is known, it will be possible to determine the geographical position of the measurement point, assuming, as already it has been commented that both the measurement point and the reference point belong both to the plane formed by the structural element (1).

The measurements will be carried out manually in those circumstances in which it is not possible to carry them out in an automated way, such as in those spaces in which the device (2) for the measurement of radiological values cannot operate due to the limited space available or the irregularity of the structural element (1). In any other case, the device (2) will be used to measure radiological values in a structural element (1) of an installation exposed to radiation.

The structure (6) of the device (2) for measuring radiological values is based on a motorized mobile support (4), for example through an electric motor. Said mobile support (4) may be controlled by means of a joystick, for example, thereby controlling the forward, reverse and right and left turns. Said support comprises lifting means (5) of a structure (6). In the present embodiment, the lifting means (5) is a telescopic arm (5). The telescopic arm (5) can also be controlled with the aforementioned joystick, thus controlling the vertical movements of ascent and descent of the structure (6). Said structure (6) of the present embodiment has two measuring equipment (7) of radiation values, although it is designed to accommodate up to a total of eight measuring equipment (7) if necessary.

The joint movement of the mobile support (4) by placing the structure (6) on the vertical of a structural element (1) allows the structural element (1) to be swept in height. With a rotation of the structure (6), so that the radiation measuring equipment (7) are oriented towards the ceiling or the floor, it is allowed to sweep horizontal surfaces, the scanning being carried out not by the movement of the structure ( 6) the mobile support (4) being fixed, but by the movement of the mobile support (4) the structure (6) being fixed.

The mobile support (4) additionally comprises a transmission device configured to send the measured radiation values together with the absolute geographical position of the measured point to an information storage device. The absolute geographical position includes data regarding the latitude, longitude and height of the measured point. Said geographical position, as mentioned above, will be obtained with the geographical positioning equipment (12), for example the lasers described. The data storage device is a centralized device that stores all the information that is sent to it, not being dedicated exclusively to the storage of the data of a device (2) for the measurement of specific radiological values. The data storage device stores all the data generated in an installation, so that this data can be visualized according to the procedure mentioned above.

Additionally, it will be possible to connect various storage devices for the centralized management of the radioactive facilities in which the storage devices are located.

In view of this description and set of figures, the expert in the field It may be understood that the invention has been described according to a preferred embodiment thereof, but that multiple variations can be introduced in said preferred embodiment, without departing from the object of the invention as claimed.

Claims

1 .- Method for the acquisition, storage and management of radiological measures taken in a structural element (1) of an installation, characterized in that it comprises the steps: i.- acquire at least one radiation value of a point of the structural element ( 1) of the installation, integrating in the radiological measurement, together with the radiation value, the moment in which the measurement and absolute geographical position of the point has been carried out, said absolute geographical position comprising the latitude, longitude and height of the point , ii.- transmit the radiological measurement to an information storage device.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises repeating steps i and ii until the measurement of the measuring points of the structural element (1) of the installation is completed.

3. Method according to any of claims 1-2, characterized in that the stage i is carried out manually.

4. Method according to any of claims 1-2, characterized in that the stage i is carried out by means of a device (2) for measuring radiological values.

5. Method according to any of claims 1-4, characterized in that the stage ii is performed by wireless means.

6. Method according to any of claims 1-5, characterized in that stage ii is carried out in real time.

7. Method according to any of claims 1-6, characterized in that the measured radiation values are alpha and beta / gamma values.

8. Method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized because the radiation values measured in an instant of a point are shown in at least one image (3) of the structural element (1) of the installation showing said point, in the absolute geographical position of said point.

9. Method according to any of claims 1-8, characterized in that the structural element (1) is selected from a floor, a wall, a ceiling, an element embedded in said floor, wall or ceiling, and a piece of a installation.

10.- Device (2) for measuring radiological values in a structural element (1) of an installation exposed to radiation, characterized in that it comprises a mobile support (4) comprising said mobile support (4) lifting means (5) ) of a structure (6) comprising at least one radiation measuring device (7), and a transmission device configured to send the measured radiation values together with the absolute geographical position of the measured point to a storage device for information, said absolute geographical position comprising the latitude, longitude and height of the point.

1 .- Device (2) according to claim 10, characterized in that the structural element (1) is selected from a floor, a wall, a ceiling, an element embedded in said floor, wall or ceiling, and a piece of a installation.