A MICROCOMPUTER BASED SHELF SYSTEM TO MONITOR SPECIAL NUCLEAR MATERIALS IN STORAGE

Diversion of special nuclear material has become a matter of grave concern in recent years. Large quantities of this material are kept in long-term storage and must be inventoried periodically, resulting in a time-consuming activity that exposes personnel to additional radiation. A system that provides continuous surveillance of stored special nuclear materials has been developed. A shelf monitor has been designed using a single component microcomputer to collect data from a Geiger Muller tube that monitors gamma emissions and a scale that monitors the total weight of the special nuclear material and its container. A network of these shelf monitors reports their acquired data to a minicomputer for analysis and storage. Because a large number of these monitors is likely to be needed in most storage facilities, one objective of this program has been to develop a low cost but reliable monitor.