Intelligent Fiber-based Dosimeter Plug for Endoscopic Sleeve in the Nuclear Industry
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: An intelligent plug (instrumented shielding plug developed within the Bpifrance UDD@ORANO project, designed to replace passive radiation protection plug) instrumented with optical fiber dosimeters has been conceived, qualified and implemented on-site in a high radiation zone (HRZ) representative of the nuclear industry. The two-channels dosimeter exploits the radiation-induced luminescence (RIL) of Ce³⁺doped silica-based fibers for real-time γ-ray dose-rate monitoring. This sensor has been optimized for implementation into diagnostic sleeves used in the ageing surveillance of decanter-centrifuge bowls at ORANO La Hague. Two independent active fiber dosimeters are integrated into a redesigned plug and connected to an RIL acquisition chain optimized by the consortium. Preliminary X-ray characterization confirmed the linear dependence of RIL with dose rate of the selected Ce 3+ -doped fiber and manufactured probes. The full system (dosimeter within the plug) was then calibrated with a reference Cs-137 -ray source with the support of Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations at system level, and subsequently deployed on-site under operational conditions. The current prototype provides dose-rate estimates with an absolute uncertainty on the order of ~39%, primarily caused by calibration constraints with our available radiation source. This limitation is not fundamental and is expected to be significantly reduced in future generations of the system. Furthermore, our results demonstrate the sensor ability to track dose-rate variations throughout the centrifuge operating cycle, supporting both pre-intervention radiological assessment for enhanced operator radioprotection and complex industrial process monitoring.
Source: IEEE Sensors Journal
Language: English
Subfield: Radiation
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223648386