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CIRMS Needs Report

Identifying Needs in ionizing radiation science and technology

Industrial Applications and Materials Effects

In the industrial area, high current electron beams are used in the manufacture of diverse products ranging from crosslinked wire and cable jacketing, as in under-the-hood automotive wiring and aircraft wiring, heat shrinkable tubing and food packaging films, tire components, and in the drying of inks, coatings and adhesives that are made from reactive materials which effectively eliminate air pollutants. Long lived isotopes, such as cobalt-60 (half life of about 5.2714 years) or cesium-137 (half life of about 30.17 years), or alternatively x rays derived from high powered electron beam accelerators, are used to sterilize medical devices and hold out the long-promised hope for sanitizing food and eliminating food-borne pathogens such as e-coli and salmonella, which have caused numerous illnesses and deaths resulting in costly recalls of meats, produce, eggs, etc.

The CIRMS Industrial Applications and Materials Effects (IAME) subcommittee deals with diverse uses of ionizing radiation in a myriad of industrial processes. For the most part, these are high speed, energy efficient processes. There are over 1700 high current electron beam accelerators used by industry to produce value added products, whose cumulative value has been estimated at least $75 billion US dollars. The insulation and jacketing on wire and cable are EB crosslinked to enhance flame retardancy, such as in under-the-hood wiring and aircraft wiring. Tire manufacturers use EB processing in order to control the placement and stability of tire cords when they are molded into a finished tire. Heat shrinkable tubing is used to protect electrical connections; heat shrinkable wrap-around materials protect the connections in the telecommunications industry. Impervious food packaging films that recover their original shape upon heating are produced using EB crosslinking. Low-energy, self-shielded units are used to convert reactive liquid materials to produce dry inks, coatings and adhesives with near-zero volatile organic emissions, a “green” process technology. Pathogens on medical devices or in or on foodstuffs are eliminated by using ionizing radiation from either radioactive cobalt-60 sources or electron beams. The FDA and USDA have approved the use of this technology in order to protect the food supply and increase food safety. The development of very powerful electron beam accelerators has made x rays derived from these sources a viable alternative to isotope use in the industrial area. Irradiation in the space environment and of the effects of radiation on the containment vessels of nuclear power plants are also concerns of this subcommittee. Background on the overall metrology areas of interest in the industrial area is in Appendix G. The Industrial Applications and Materials Effects MPDs are listed below. One page descriptions of the active MPDs follow in a separate section. These present the objectives, some background information and needs in each active area.

Tasks

Emerging Research Areas

2018 Discussion Topics

Measurement Program Descriptions (MPDs)

Specific action items are active for consideration by the community.

Proposed MPDs (as of October 2012)

Watchlist

All action items have been completed or are inactive.

  1. Joint MPD with Homeland Security ↩

  2. Joint MPD with Medical Applications ↩