Advanced Nuclear Power - The Magazine of Framatome ANP









CERCA, a Framatome ANP subsidiary, is the number one supplier for the radiation reference sources market in France and the number two in Europe.

Nuclear power plants are legally obliged to carry out regular inspections of radiation measurement equipment. Accuracy of this equipment plays a key role in nuclear power plant safety. Plants need to inspect and calibrate, on a regular basis, the contamination detectors used in radiation protection devices along with the spectrometers, and all the traditional a, ß, γ, X and n radiation detectors, used in environmental and radioactive gas emission inspections.

The various inspection and calibration tests are performed by the environmental labs and radiation protection units of the plants. The sources used include alpha, beta, gamma or neutron emitters with activity levels ranging from kBq to MBq. The most common are solid sources of 60Co for checking gamma doses or gamma spectrometers; metal gas bottles (85Kr) for measurements taken inside nuclear power plant stacks; solutions or solid, equivalent water matrices containing a mix of different radionuclides (241Am, 109Cd, etc.) designed to calibrate the spectrometers used for low activity measurements.

CERCA is the primary supplier of radiation reference sources for all radiation protection services and environmental labs of the nuclear power plants operated by EDF as well as other power plants in Europe and China. In addition, CERCA's radioactive reference sources are used frequently for quality control in nuclear medicine and for research.

Stringent Quality Controls

Radioactive sources are manufactured and calibrated by CERCA's radioactive references sources laboratory (LEA), under a strict quality management system (ISO 9001 and Comité Fran¨ais d'Acréditation (COFRAC). This guarantees that the plants' product quality and traceability meet international and documentation standards (calibration certificates). Sources are shipped worldwide in packages that meet international guidelines (IAEA, etc.).


The accuracy of radioactive sources: the key to radiation protection

Advantages

  • Simple design adapted to radiation and safety use
  • More than 600 types available with over 80 different radioisotopes of standard or customized design
  • Calibration sources with a single nuclide or a mix of several radionuclides enabling simultaneous calibration at several energy levels
  • Exact measurements of radioactivity or emissions with a +/- 5% margin of error
  • Guaranteed quality and traceability due to COFRAC and ISO9001 certification
  • Sources supplied with a calibration certificate BNM-COFRAC
  • Return of sealed sources when no longer required
The data herein are solely for your information and are not offered, or to be construed, as a warranty or contractual responsibility.
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