Scientific and Technical Reports

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Transport of radioactive materials
(Australian Nuclear Science and Technolgy Organisation, 1990-09) Rolland, JM
It is estimated that around 500 million packages of potentially hazardous materials are transported throughout the world each year. This range of materials includes corrosives, flammable gases, flammable liquids, poisons, oxidisers and explosives. Our everyday life depends on the routine transport of these materials and we intuitively accept the small risk associated with their distribution. Radioactive materials represent one other type of potentially hazardous material. Several tens of millions of packages of radioactive material are transported throughout the world annually. Around 90% of these packages contain only small quantities of radioisotopes, mainly for medical purposes. Most of the remaining 10% contain radioisotopes for industrial and research purposes. Shipments of nuclear fuel cycle materials represent only a few percent of the radioactive packages transported. The number of shipments of radioactive materials will continue to increase by about 10% each year as the medical, industrial and research uses of radioisotopes are more widely applied as a nuclear fuel cycle activities increase. About 50,000 packages of radioactive materials are transported annually within Australia. Of this number, Ansto ships over 20,000 packages each year to all main cities in Australia and to regional countries. The vast majority of these shipments constitute radiopharmaceuticals for medical diagnostic purposes. About 75% of the shipments made by Ansto are by air and 25% by road to destinations within the Sydney area.
The environmental behaviour of uranium
(International Atomic Energy Agency, 2023) Carvalho, FP; Fesenko, S; Harbottle, AR; Lavrova, T; Mitchell, NG; Payne, TE; Rigol, A; Thorne, MC; Ulanowski, A; Vidal, M; Voitsekhovych, O; West, JM; Yankovich, TL
This publication is one of the series of IAEA publications on the environmental behaviour of naturally occurring radionuclides It outlines uranium behaviour in different environments, as well as its transfer to, and metabolism in, humans The publication also provides concepts, models and data required for the assessment of the impacts of uranium on non-human biota Assessing the environmental and health effects of uranium poses specific challenges because of the combination of different types of hazard and potential exposures Therefore, both the radiotoxicity and chemical toxicity of uranium are considered in this publication.
Interim report task 2: performance testing- task 2.4: natural mineral analog studies performance and chemical characteristics of brannerite in natural systems to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for Contract B345772
(US Department of Energy (DOE), 2000-04-30) Lumpkin, GR; Colella, M; Leung SHF
To investigate the long-term alteration behavior of brannerite, we have undertaken a study of 13 natural samples from various geological environments, including granites, granitic pegmatites, quartz veins, and placer deposits. Literature data and U-Th-Pb chemical dating carried out in this work indicate that the samples range in age from approximately 20 Ma to 1580 Ma. Where independent age data or estimates are available for comparison, the U-Th-Pb chemical ages are in reasonable agreement for the younger samples, but the older samples tend to show evidence for Pb loss (up to about 80%), a common feature of metamict Nb, Ta, and Ti oxide minerals. Our results show that many of the samples exhibit only minor alteration, usually within small patches, microfractures, or around the rims of the brannerite crystals. Other samples consist of variable amounts of unaltered and altered brannerite. Heavily altered samples may contain anatase and thorite as fine-grained alteration products. Certain samples exhibited fracturing of the associated rock matrix or mineral phase in the immediate vicinity of the brannerite grains. These fractures contain U bearing material and indicate that some U migrated locally from the source brannerite.
Advanced nuclear reactor materials research in Australia: high temperature properties, radiation effects and corrosion behaviour
(IAEA, 2020-05) Muránsky, O; Edwards, L
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and its predecessor, the Australian Atomic Energy Commission has a long history in nuclear-based research and development. This is continuing through Australia’s recent membership of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). As Australia’s implementing agent within GIF, ANSTO is focussing the majority of its research on nuclear materials engineering including structural performance evaluations in complex nuclear environments, advanced manufacturing, and system reliability assessment. Although this work concentrates on the Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) and Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) systems most of the research outcomes are applicable to a wide range of advanced nuclear reactor systems.
Radiocarbon age dating groundwaters of the West Canning Basin, Western Australia
(Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, 2009-03) Meredith, KT
This report has been prepared by Karina Meredith, a hydrogeochemist from Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s (ANSTO) Institute for Environmental Research, for the Government of Western Australia (WA), Department of Water (DoW). The purpose of this project was to provide assistance and technical support with groundwater sampling, radiocarbon analysis, interpretation of isotopic and hydrogeochemical data, and radiocarbon correction modelling for groundwater samples. These tasks were completed so that a representative age for groundwaters in the West Canning Basin in the Pilbara Region could be made. This work forms part of the Pilbara Water Smart Australia Project. Crown Copyright © 2009

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