Which radioisotopes are used in industry?
Americium-241 (half-life: 432 yr): Used in backscatter gauges, smoke detectors, fill height detectors, and in measuring ash content of coal. Caesium-137 (30.17 yr): Used for radiotracer technique for identification of sources of soil erosion and deposition, as well as in density and fill height level switches.
How Can radiation be used in industry?
X-rays and gamma rays are used in industrial radiography to make images of the inside of solid products, as a means of nondestructive testing (NDT) and inspection. NDT radiography is used in the petroleum, chemical and nuclear industries, as well as on assembly lines to test consumer goods.
What are the applications of radioisotopes?
Applications have played significant role in improving the quality of human life. The application of radioisotopes in tracing, radiography, food preservation and sterilization, eradication of insects and pests, medical diagnosis and therapy, and new variety of crops in agricultural field is briefly described.
What are benefits of radioisotopes?
Radioactive isotopes have many useful applications. In medicine, for example, cobalt-60 is extensively employed as a radiation source to arrest the development of cancer. Other radioactive isotopes are used as tracers for diagnostic purposes as well as in research on metabolic processes.
How do radioisotopes work in medicine?
Diagnostic techniques in nuclear medicine use radioactive tracers which emit gamma rays from within the body. These tracers are generally short-lived isotopes linked to chemical compounds which permit specific physiological processes to be scrutinized. They can be given by injection, inhalation, or orally.
What are the benefits of radioisotopes?
What are some examples of radioisotopes?
What are some commonly-used radioisotopes?
| Radioisotope | Half-life |
|---|---|
| Hydrogen-3 (tritium) | 12.32 years |
| Carbon-14 | 5,700 years |
| Chlorine-36 | 301,000 years |
| Lead-210 | 22.2 years |
What are radioisotopes give two examples?
The radiations emitted are in the form of alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays. Common examples of radioactive isotopes are Arsenic−74, Iodine−131 and Cobalt−60.
How are radioisotopes used in industry for gauging?
This project/demonstration will help students understand how radioisotopes are used in industry for gauging or other uses. A) Lay a flashlight on a table. Darken the room and turn on the flashlight.
How are radioisotopes used to measure plastic film thickness?
Some machines which manufacture plastic film use radioisotope gauging with beta particles to measure the thickness of the plastic film. The film runs at high speed between a radioactive source and a detector. The detector signal strength is used to control the plastic film thickness.
How are radioisotopes used to measure the quality of radiation?
When the intensity of radiation from a radioisotope is being reduced by matter in the beam, some radiation is scattered back towards the radiation source. The amount of ‘backscattered’ radiation is related to the amount of material in the beam, and this can be used to measure characteristics of the material.
How are radioisotopes produced in the nuclear industry?
A machine called a ‘pipe crawler’ carries a shielded radioactive source down the inside of the pipe to the position of the weld. There, the radioactive source is remotely exposed and a radiographic image of the weld is produced on the film. This film is later developed and examined for signs of flaws in the weld.