Patent ID: 8260566

Claim:
An apparatus for screening radioactive waste, comprising: a radiation detector configured for detecting radioactivity of a sample of radioactive waste prior to packaging thereof for disposal and generating measurement data in response thereto; a collimator assembly including at least one aperture configured to direct a field of view of the radiation detector; a computer assembly operably coupled with the radiation detector, and configured to receive measurement data from the radiation detector; control logic in communication with the computer assembly, the control logic configured to; calculate one or more parameters from the received measurement data comprising; calculating an initial activity of the received measurement data compensating for mass attenuation using one or more factors comprising the measured weight and the measured height of the sample; performing a weighted least squares regression analysis to determine activity at infinite energy on the calculated initial activity as a function of inverse energy at which the activity was calculated; and adjusting the mass attenuation coefficients based upon the slope of the weighted least squares regression analysis; calculating a corrected activity of the measured content compensating for mass attenuation using one or more factors comprising the measured weight and the measured height of the sample and any adjusted mass attenuation coefficients; and ensuring that the calculated corrected activity is at least-a predetermined lower limit, a support structure configured to receive a temporary waste container containing the sample; the support structure including a weight measurement device; a height measurement device in communication with the sample; and the radiation detector and collimator oriented such that the field of view of the radiation detector extends from the radiation detector in a vertical direction.