ORPHAN AND DISUSED RADIOACTIVE SOURCE MANAGEMENT

Regaining control over orphan radioactive sources and recovering disused radioactive sources are significant and important tasks for Regulatory Authorities to ensure public and environmental safety as well as the security of radioactive sources. This paper provides an overview of the activities conducted by the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center (NRSC), serving as the Technical Support Organization (TSO) for the Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ANRA). These activities include the search and recovery of orphan and disused radioactive sources in Armenia, including detection, assessment of physical, chemical, and radiation characteristics of found sources, planning, and implementation of dismantlement, transportation, and storage procedures. Additionally, the paper discusses the development of safety assessment reports and other supporting documents to obtain authorization from ANRA for the dismantlement, transportation, and long-term storage of high-activity radioactive sources.