Drive behind ANSTO CORIS360 technology to find a lost radioactive capsule

Presentation by Rhiarn Hoban, ANSTO.

Australian Nuclear Association ANA2023 Conference, held Friday 6 October 2023 at the Aerial UTS Function Centre, Ultimo, NSW.

Introduced by Michelle Durant, Managing Director at The Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering - AINSE Limited.

Abstract: In January 2023 Western Australia authorities placed a request for external agency support in the locating and retrieval of a lost 20GBq Caesium-137 capsule. Believed to be lost somewhere between the Pilbara mining site and Perth CBD, the recovery was dubbed by the media as “finding a needle in the haystack”. Working alongside authorities from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), Australian Defence Force, and the Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) as part of a multi-agency response, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) were able to provide the resources, expertise and technology that enabled the successful recovery of the missing source.

In an operation that spanned over 1,400kms, ANSTO was able to mount three mobile field units founded on resilience, safety, and technical expertise as part of their emergency response capability. This included the dynamic modification of a key piece of equipment, the CORIS360®, as well as a suite of other technology that enabled the detection of the lost capsule. Safety was paramount so WHS Liaison oversight ensured responding units safely navigated harsh environments, fatigue, road trains and remote conditions of the desert. Through collaboration, teamwork, technology, and excellence, ANSTO was able to showcase its nuclear capabilities so that with trained and proficient people driving technology, the safe detection and recovery of the capsule was achieved.