The Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratories has figured out a way not only to use RFID to make sure containers of nuclear materials don’t get lost, but also to determine whether they might be vulnerable to environmental stresses. The wireless tags are being used to monitor containers of nuclear materials in storage and being transported, and can provide information on thousands of drums.
“Any abnormal situation, such as a loss of seal, a sudden shock, a rise in temperature or humidity, can trigger an alarm for immediate action,” says Dr. Yung Liu, senior nuclear engineer at Argonne, in a statement (he’s shown above in photo courtesy ANL).
The system (see video) consists of RFID tags, readers, secure network links and software used to manage the system. Liu says the system could be used for tracking other types of hazardous materials as well.
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