Fabrication of isotopic heat and radiation sources for the Federal Republic of Germany

Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has filled 30 German-made canisters with highly radioactive borosilicate glass. These canisters, containing specified amounts of /sup 137/Cs and /sup 90/Sr, will be sealed using a gas tungsten arc welder and will be decontaminated to nonsmearable limits using an electropolishing system. They are to be characterized in a series of nondestructive tests: surface dose rate measurement, axial gamma scanning, canister mass determination, and canister surface temperature measurement. The canisters will then be transported to the Asse Salt Mine located in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) for a 5-year repository testing program. 3 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.