Two Shielded End-Stations at MARS Beamline of SOLEIL Synchrotron : Specific Devices for the Highly Irradiating Materials Analysis
Abstract
Since the mid-2000s, the engineers and researchers of CEA and SOLEIL synchrotron facility have worked together to design a world unique beamline for the study of radioactive matter: MARS (Multi Analyses on Radioactive Samples Beamline)1. The facility works in the hard X-ray domain (between 3.0 and 35 keV) combining both X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction/scattering techniques on two end-stations: CX2 and CX3. MARS beamline is authorized by the ASN (French Nuclear Safety Authority) to analyze samples with radioactivities up to 18.5 GBq per sample for alpha and beta emitters and up to 2 GBq for gamma and neutron emitters. One of its main objectives is to be able to analyze these highly irradiating samples, such as spent nuclear reactor fuel or irradiated nuclear material (solid, liquid), to study their structural and chemical evolutions after irradiation.
This article describes the components designed and realized with the major contribution of CEA to analyze such kind of samples: #1 air-tight sample holders; #2 positioning mechanical systems on the X-ray beam; #3 local analyzer devices; #4 two shieldings to safeguard users; #5 a mobile-shielded cask to transport samples.