February 2015 Vol. 3 No.1

Search Pubmed for articles by:
 

Banini BK

Mornoh E

Other links:
PubMed Citation
Related articles in PubMed

Original Research Articles

PLC automation of circular sll-02 type 50kci cobalt 60 irradiator

^*1B. K. Banini, ²G. K. Quashigah, ¹B. E. Mensah and ¹E. Mornoh

¹Engineering Services Centre (ESC),
²Nuclear Accelerator Centre, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission Legon, Accra.

*Corresponding Author's E-mail: baninib@yahoo.co.uk

Accepted February 12, 2015

Abstract

A Siemen Logo 12/24 RC Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) was used to model and design an automation for the Circular SLL-02 type 50kCi cobalt 60 irradiator, which is category IV wet storage, installed at Radiation Technology Centre (RTC). The reason this project was carried out is; to avoid difficulty face in: integrated circuit based control system for the irradiator, importation of expertise in repairing the facility and thereby reducing the down time of the gamma irradiator. It was designed to provide automatic initial conditions checks, motor rolled the radiation source up, monitor the irradiation process and finally retiring the source to its storage after irradiation. The PLC monitors the inputs and outputs signals of the facility and energized or the de-energized the respective relays according to the written program installed in its memory. The Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in the project gave the indications of the satisfied conditions and when output relay has been energized and is de- energized. By implementation of the design down time of the facility would be reduced.

Keywords: Automation, down time, gamma, irradiator, model design, programmable logic controller, radiation