The Institute of Physical and Technical Problems, part of Rosatom State Corporation, has developed, certified, and manufactures domestic radioisotope devices (RID) for large enterprises. One of the buyers of such devices is Nornickel. Representatives of the mining and metallurgical company signed the corresponding agreement on the sidelines of Atomexpo-2024.
Highly sensitive and accurate radioisotope devices from Rosatom's subsidiary have already undergone a cycle of special procedures. They are ready to work in the harshest conditions of the Arctic.
Cooperation with Rosatom in the field of nuclear instrumentation opens up new horizons for us in further improving the accuracy and speed of production processes. These advanced technologies will allow us to strengthen the control of key parameters of our operations, while ensuring a high degree of automation and efficiency. We are confident that this cooperation will increase our technological sovereignty and significantly reduce dependence on foreign equipment.
RID are used for remote monitoring of technological process parameters in industry. In the case of Nornickel, they will, in particular, be able to measure density and fill level through the walls of pipelines and tanks in online mode. This will enable the company to organize rapid and automated accounting of metal-containing products.
Why are domestic radioisotope devices important for Russia?
RID in production facilities are one of the most effective means of non-destructive remote monitoring of technological process parameters in harsh operating conditions.
High temperature, aggressive environment, high pressure, multiphase flow, and bulk solids make such control difficult directly and manually by enterprise specialists.
RID eliminate the need to spend time on sampling and laboratory work, and the error in their results is minimal. Also, such devices are often used in scientific experiments.
They work by interacting ionizing radiation with the object of control. It allows you to obtain information about the internal content of the object after directing the device at it.
Each device contains a closed radionuclide radiation source, a radiation detector, and an information processing unit. Also, new generation RID may include self-diagnosis tools and remote monitoring of the radiation source position.
Before the flow of anti-Russian sanctions, Russia mainly purchased such equipment from abroad. However, in 2020, it became known that Rusatom Automated Control Systems (RASU), part of Rosatom, began to engage in a new direction, Nuclear Instrumentation, to ensure technological sovereignty in this area. This direction includes radioisotope devices.
Currently, the Institute of Physical and Technical Problems, which is part of RASU, has developed, certified, and manufactures 15 domestic radioisotope devices of a new generation. The latest developments in this area — densitometers, level gauges, and thickness gauges — were entered into the State Register of Measuring Instruments in early 2023.
