Radiation and isotopes are used for wide range of industrial and societal applications. This includes radiation processing of materials for property enhancement and modification, degradation & mineralization of pollutants and deactivation of pathogens in contaminated matrices. Radiation based techniques are used for non-destructive testing and examination of integrity and flaw determination in industrial specimens with high precision. Isotopes find applications for water resources development and management, process optimization and troubleshooting of industrial systems.

Advanced oxidation processes for treatment of dye waste water

Electron beam irradiation induced degradation and complete mineralization of dye effluents has been demonstrated at pilot scale. Electron beam assisted radiolysis of water generates strong oxidising species which can be utilized to oxidise and degrade harmful chemicals in wastewater.

Development of water purifier for Arsenic removal

Highly selective sensor with high sensitivity for 2-propanone (a biomarker of diabetic ketoacidosis) was developed through radiation crosslinking of Fluorocarbon elastomer (FCE)/nanocarbon black (NCB) conducting composite.

Radiation processed polymer-composite based chemi-resistive sensor

Highly selective sensor with high sensitivity for 2-propanone (a biomarker of diabetic ketoacidosis) was developed through radiation crosslinking of Fluorocarbon elastomer (FCE)/nanocarbon black (NCB) conducting composite.

Radiation processed polymer-composite based peizoresistive sensor

Advanced piezoresistors were developed by radiation crosslinking of electroconductive composites. These piezoresistors have a broad detection range and can be used for smart intrusion detection devices and tactile sensing applications.

Radiation technology for hygienisation of sewage sludge

Sludge Hygienisation Research Irradiator (SHRI) facility, Vadodara hygienises liquid sewage through Co-60 gamma radiation. Hygienisation causes complete deactivation of pathogens and renders sewage sludge safe for agricultural applications . Based on the experience of SHRI a commercial plant for dry sewage sludge hygienisation of capacity 100 Ton/day is operating at Ahmedabad and second is coming-up at Indore.

Industrial gamma radiometry

Gamma radiometry using sealed radioisotope sources e.g. Cs-137 or Co-60 with associated detection system is used for gross estimation of defects in industrial specimens.

Industrial electronic imaging for non-destructive testing and evaluation

X-rays radiography provides finer details of embedded defects in objects including cast samples, assemblies and structures. With significant evolution in digital imaging, computed radiography and digital industrial radiography using digital detector arrays (DDR) are used for computational imaging for enhanced defect visualization and precise and quantitative evaluation.

Digital industrial radiography and industrial computed tomography

Digital industrial radiography (DIR) and industrial computed tomography (ICT) are imaging methods employed for Non Destructive Testing Evaluation (NDT&E) of simple to complex industrial objects. They employ some of the advanced technologies in sample scanning, projection image recording and processing of data for extraction of information with respect to defect size, location and sometimes composition.

Digital industrial radiography and industrial computed tomography

Digital industrial radiography (DIR) and industrial computed tomography (ICT) are imaging methods employed for Non Destructive Testing & Evaluation (NDT&E) of simple to complex industrial objects. They employ some of the advanced technologies in sample scanning, projection image recording and processing of data for extraction of information with respect to defect size, location and sometimes composition.

Radiotracer applications in industry

Radiotracer are used in industry for applications listed below

1. Leak detection in buried pipelines & high pressure heat exchanger systems
2. Flow rate measurement
3. Mixing/blending time measurement
4. Residence time distribution (RTD) measurement
5. Wear rate measurement
6. Sediment transport in ports and harbors
7. Effluent dispersion in coastal water
8. Effective management of oil fields
9. Radioactive Particle Tracking (RPT) Technique

Isotopes in water resources management

1. Identification of source and origin of groundwater recharge
2. Identification of recharge area of natural springs
3. Surface water-groundwater and aquifer-aquifer interconnections
4. Estimation of residence time of groundwater
5. Identification of source, mechanism and pathways of groundwater contamination
6. Estimation of groundwater discharge in coastal regions
7. Identifying the origin of geothermal waters
8. Quantification of various components in the stream flow (Hydrograph separation)

1. Recharge zone of 88 mountainous springs in the state of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh were identified using isotope techniques and artificial recharge structures were constructed within recharge zone which helped in increasing the discharge rate of the springs
2. Identification of source and origin of geothermal water as well as estimation of subsurface temperature in Uttarakhand and Telanagana
3. Isotope hydrogeological investigations for identification of palaeochannels showed existence of palaeochannel in Kurukshetra, Haryana and Allahabad and Uttar Pradesh. In Haryana the palaeochannel is acting as recharge conduit to groundwater from high Himalaya
4. Investigation of source of uranium, its release mechanism and recharge condition in Punjab. Environmental isotopes revealed that shallow aquifer is being recharged from direct precipitation coupled with irrigation return flow and shallow aquifer is contaminated by uranium
5. Investigation on the role of snow and ice in controlling the regional hydrology of Liddar watershed, western himalaya using environmental isotope. The results showed that snow melting is a major component controlling the hydrology of mountainous rivers.

Industrial applications of electron beam accelerators

Electron beam accelerator (EB) is used for radiation processing of

1. Industrial products, food products, medical products
2. Environmental applications such as treatment of wastewater, sewage sludge and industrial effluents
3. Modification of various materials for value addition and design of new materials