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Dounreay upgrades hotspot detection kit


By Will Clark

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Site licence company DSRL has confirmed that it is to replace existing detectors with carbon fibre layer equipment, which is better able to identify the presence of beta radiation.

It follows trials requested by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency following the discovery of a shard of reprocessed fuel at Sandside beach, whose nuclear footprint was dominated by the bone-seeking Strontium 90 (Sr90).

A spokeswoman for DSRL said it will be upgrading its equipment to use the carbon fibre array which will be deployed shortly.

She said: “SEPA asked us to carry out a trial to compare the response of the existing detectors to a set of the same detectors housed in a carbon fibre layer, to see which was more efficient at detecting Sr90 particles on the surface of the beach and buried in the sand.

“We carried out trials on a local beach in February. Although both arrangements were equally effective at detecting particles at depth, overall the carbon fibre array gave a marginal improvement in the detection of Sr90 particles.”

The Dounreay foreshore and Sandside beaches are the two most affected areas for hotspots being washed ashore, with finds there numbering 285 and 222 respectively.

DSRL has applied to SEPA to reduce the frequency of monitoring at Sandside from monthly to quarterly. In 2011, 45 particles were detected on the beach, with just 12 found last year.

SEPA is consulting on whether to sanction the move, given the activity of fuel fragments found to date and the probability of encountering a particle.

The proposal comes despite the unearthing of the Sr90-dominated fuel fragment at Sandside in February 2012, which was the first of its kind found since monitoring at the beach began 30 years ago.

Only three radioactive particles have been found at other beaches in Caithness – two at Murkle and one at Dunnet.

Murkle is only one of two beaches in the report recommended to have more monitoring – it is proposed to have annual sweeps, compared to the six surveys it has had in the last 12 years.

Despite no radioactive particles having been found at Crosskirk beach, SEPA also recommends an annual scan would be desirable as fuel fragments have been found in offshore sediments near the area.

The SEPA report stated monitoring is no longer required at Brims Ness, Scrabster, Thurso and Peedie beaches.

Melvich is in line for monitoring once every five years.


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