16th October 2023 (9 Topics)
Radiation Detection Equipment (RDE)
Context:
According to the latest update, Radiation Detection Equipment (RDE) will be installed at eight land crossing points along India's borders with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal to check the trafficking of radioactive materials for its possible use in making nuclear devices.
What is Radiation Detection Equipment (RDE)?
- Radiation detectors, also known as particle detectors, are instruments designed for the detection and measurement of subatomic particles.
- Radioactive materials emit subatomic particles (i.e., electrons, protons, neutrons, alpha particles, gamma rays, and numerous mesons and baryons) as they decay.
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What is Dosimetry? Science or technique of determining radiation dose; can be done in real time or retrospectively |
About the update:
- The RDE will be installed at the Integrated Check Posts and land ports of Attari (Pakistan border), Petrapole, Agartala, Dawki and Sutarkandi (all on the Bangladesh border), Raxaul and Jogbani (Nepal) and Moreh (Myanmar).
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Radionuclides (or radioactive materials) are a class of chemicals where the nucleus of the atom is unstable. They achieve stability through changes in the nucleus (spontaneous fission, emission of alpha particles, or conversion of neutrons to protons or the reverse). |
- Objective: The Union government has taken the initiative to install the RDE so that the trafficking of radioactive materials across international borders can be checked.
- The eight ICPs are known to have a sizeable number of cross-border movements of people and goods.
- The RDE will be installed in a drive-through monitoring station that monitors trucks and their cargo.
- The RDE is equipped with raising separate gamma and neutron radiation alarms and generating video frames of suspected objects.
- It will also have the ability to differentiate between special nuclear material and naturally occurring radiation in fertiliser or ceramics as well as high-energy gamma isotopes which are an attribute of recycled uranium.
Applications of Radioactive Materials:
- Today, to benefit humankind, radiation is used in medicine, academics, and industry, as well as for generating electricity.
- In addition, radiation has useful applications in such areas as agriculture, archaeology (carbon dating), space exploration, law enforcement, geology (including mining), and many others.
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