1. Radioassay Counter

2. Gamma Meter

3. Radiation scaler

Radioassay Counter    
     
       Radio isotopes in the form of RadioPharmaceuticals have been widely used in the medical files, for the last fifty years. Procedures have now been specific high efficeincy detection by scintillation detectors, along with highly accurate and sophiticated electronic instruments. Both in vitro and in vivo use of radio isotopes are common. Among the in vitro application, the Radioimmunassay procedures paly an important role in pathological tests for estimation of a number of important biological ingredients. Radioimmunoassay kits containing all essential reagent and biological ingredient are locally available, or can be easily imported.

           Radioimmunoassay of Insulin, T-3, T-4, HGH, HPL, Vitamin B-121 and many others are routinely carried out by a large number of pathological labs, hospitals and medical research institutions throughout India.

Gamma Meter
       
    In this meter the Gamma radiation source is placed in a small pipe which is welded to the tail end plate of the scrapper pig. The pig is introduced in the pipeline through a pig launcher and then pushed by the product by using pumps of suitable capacity. The emission of gamma radiation by the source is a nuclear phenomenon that does not require external power source and then emission is also not affected by external physical factors. Even when the pig stops at any blockage point the emission of gamma radiation continues resulting in exact pinpointing of this spot.

    The radiotracer emits radiation which is detected by a sensitive radiation detector unmistakably with hundered percent confidence.  Monitoring pits reaching upto the top surface of pipeline are made at regular intervals of four or five kilometer.  Sensitive gamma radiation detectors are placed in the monitoring pits and are connected to gamma radiation detector electronic instrument. Since any location always has a radiation background the meter display this radiation level at all times. The most sensitive range (namely 0-0.2mR/Hr) usually display a background reading of twenty to thirty percent. Assuming a radiotracer strength of 5mci of Cobalt 60 the presence of this radiotracer- and hence the scrapper pig -is shown full scale deflection and also gives an audio visual indication. This indication continues till the alarm is used. The indication is thus positive and unambiguous. Monitoring can than be shifted to next point down the line.

      Radiation scaler

This process is continued till the pig reaches end of the line. The end cap is opened, the pig is removed from the line and the radioactive source is retrieved and transformed to its safely lead shield. In the case of a blockage point shows the location upto which the line is clear, but the next point down the line is not passed. In that case the approximate location can be estimated by knowing the total quantity sent through the line. Additional monitoring pits at shorter intervals are made and a second pig also stops just behind the first pig.

   Final location of this point is determined by digging the line and monitoring continuously for radiation level.  A number of underground pipe lines in India have been monitored in the part including M/s H.P.C.L Mumbai-Loni product line, Crude line of H.P.C.L from offshore jetty to refinery at vishakhapatnam, pipelines of Mangalore Petroleum refineries limited-Mangalore Slurry line of M/s. Hindustan Zinc Ltd., at Udiapur,ATF line of M/s. H.P.C.L from Trombay refinery to Sahara and Santacruz airport successfully. In all these operations the handling of radiotracer is carried out by trained well experienced persons and does not expose others involved in the operation to gamma radiation.