Radiotracers and Nucleonic Control Systems Applied in Industry—Polish Case

Abstract

Nuclear and radiation technologies play an important role in Polish power sector, oil industry and mining sector, starting from fossil fuels exploitation, their transport and distribution and finally power generation. Application of environmental isotopes, stable and radioactive, in ground water monitoring in the vicinity of open cast lignite mine, and radon monitor applied for miner’s safety in deep coal mines and nucleonic control systems for ash in coal quality control is often used in mining industry. Other applications of nuclear techniques reviewed, concern the oil industry, oil field recovery, transportation pipelines and refineries. Finally, the application of beta radiation-based gauges for air borne fly ash monitoring and radiation technology for flue gas treatment are the examples of using this technique in power sector equipped with coal and oil fired boilers [1]. The radiotracers techniques were used also in glass industry (determination and optimization parameters of the furnaces), cement industry (test of aggregates for the production of cement and optimization media transport in pipelines), metallurgy of Cu, Pb, Zn (investigation of pyrometallurgy processes and new techniques), cellulose industry, environmental and (mainly hydrological) research etc. [2]. The article is brief review of present status of radiotracer and nucleonic gauges techniques as applied to polish industry.