Frantic search for radioactive material missing from power plant in Thailand

[kwonitoy]

55 minutes ago, WHansen said:

The picture does not look like a mobile device (radiation source)used to inspect the integrity of welds to me.

In my industry the equipment is carried to the location of the weld to be inspected and usually there is a 10 meter barrier put in place before "bombing" of the weld is carried out.

This is the right answer

As an industrial radiographer welds are examined by IR192 (Iridium) gamma sources, as above picture.

Extremely thick pieces, 4" thick and above are examined by CO60 (cobalt) sources

Cesium 137 is NOT used for radiography.

We use it as a signaling source for x-ray crawlers 

And it is used as a measurement device to see where the level of coal is in a storage bunker. ie power plant or a mine

It is very long lasting, and extremly penetrating in small amounts

That's this one in this article and was the use of the one in Australia that recently went missing and was found.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, jvs said:

Do you think it is still in Thailand?

 

Yes, some idiot probably took it for scrap metal not knowing the contents.

[hellohello123]

Maybe they could the power plant operators a "red or yellow card"

[Dazkkk]

13 hours ago, Woof999 said:

There are several quite believable reasons that have no connection to human mis-deeds.

 

To name but two:

 

1.) Perhaps the brakes failed on the vehicle the cylinder was stored on and it rolled away.

2.) Perhaps the security guard was having a micro sleep.

 

[/joke]

There was a similar case where radioactive materials actually (the size of your little finger) fell off the back of a lorry that was transporting it across Australia a few weeks ago.  The area of the search was huge, but eventually the search party found it a few meters from the side of the road. ????

[liddelljohn]

many years ago a small container of Plutonium from Ongarak experimental Nuclear research centre  was lost , it ended up in hands of various scrap dealers who thought it was PLATINUM ,, and a few Bhudda  amulets  and some jewellery  was made from it , some people died and others got sick before authorities recovered it all,, quite funny if you think about it but  not good at all.

 

[JimboB4]

Caesium Can be used to make a DB when the hell did this happen? Do they have any idea who and where????? 

[Aviatorhi]

14 hours ago, Puccini said:

Perhaps this steam-powered plant uses nuclear energy to produce steam.

Perhaps, but also you're wrong. 

[JimboB4]

This is not on the news anywhere else that I’ve seen yet. Please provide updates when the cesium is found. 

[JimboB4]

This material is also used in hospitals I believe for CT Scaners and X-rays. Unless 137 is a higher grade? WTH is going on? 

[JimboB4]

Prachin Buri, which way could they be headed? 

Edited March 15, 2023 by metisdead
Font size reset to normal.

[jacko45k]

Makes me think of the intro to 'The Simpsons'!

[terryofcrete]

16 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Office of Atoms for Peace.....................run by OAPs!  555

OAPs are Old Age Pensioners in Ireland ...

[Reigntax]

16 hours ago, nikmar said:

dont they use radiography to check for cracks in new welds?

Yes. And old welds

[Tom H]

A little bit rusty????

[wombat]

16 hours ago, smedly said:

this is pretty serious, how on earth can something like this go missing 

Not long ago the same scenario happened in WA.

that one caused massive freak outs untill it was found.

Fallen off the back of a truck is  a real thing

[KannikaP]

1 hour ago, terryofcrete said:

OAPs are Old Age Pensioners in Ireland ...

I guess my sarcasm went over your head.

Same in England too.

[Bangkok Barry]

17 hours ago, MJCM said:

Why does a steam powered plant have this, is it then by any chance a nuclear power plant?

Did you read the link before asking?

[Bangkok Barry]

16 hours ago, khunPer said:

The article has the answer...

 

An expert in the disposal of radioactive materials, Sumetha Wichienpet, said that Caesium-137 was used in checking for invisible cracks in pipelines in the power plant, adding that the radiation emitted from Cesium-137 into the environment does not exceed 7 Rem but, in nature, the amount of radiation should not exceed 1 Rem.

YES!! The first 13 responders to this clearly didn't read the linked article before posting. Just jump to the keyboard.....

[phetphet]

Someone might have a very dangerous door stop.

 

I hope the authorities are as diligent as the Aussies were in looking for their lost capsule.

This one is a bit bigger.

[NanLaew]

11 hours ago, WHansen said:

The picture does not look like a mobile device (radiation source)used to inspect the integrity of welds to me.

In my industry the equipment is carried to the location of the weld to be inspected and usually there is a 10 meter barrier put in place before "bombing" of the weld is carried out.

Assuming the picture in the OP is the missing container, then it is possible that someone thought it was a redundant bit of rusting junk, unbolted it and is hopefully using it as a door stop or wheel chock rather than selling it for scrap where the danger of it being cut open is very real. Maybe their own maintenance team removed it as the OP picture indicates that it was about to fall off?

 

Here's another picture of the missing item that was probably taken years earlier before corrosion took over.

 

Photo by Green Network Facebook page

[tandor]

local scrap metal dealer would be my first stop

[PETERTHEEATER]

16 hours ago, watchcat said:

Should we belive this "expert" ?  After all TIT.

The reporting article quotes Wkipedia so, why not? ????

 

 

 

[Grusa]

17 hours ago, aussienam said:

 

 

Side note: Please get rid of that annoying new video ad pop-up. It blocks most of the text box on Android screens and makes it impossible to comment.  I close it but it re-appears soon after. I see it isn't an issue on laptop screens. Is a bad tech design whoever implemented it.

It doesn't appear at all on duck-duck go browser.

[KhunBENQ]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Yes, some idiot probably took it for scrap metal not knowing the contents.

Stealing this bloody dangerous "scrap metal" instead of the usual cutting of power lines, steel pipes, rail tracks etc.

[Tarteso]

I wonder what Thais do playing with grown-up things.????

[IamNoone88]

steel container? It should be lead.

[Xonax]

18 hours ago, aussienam said:

Please get rid of that annoying new video ad pop-up. It blocks most of the text box on Android screens and makes it impossible to comment.  I close it but it re-appears soon after. I see it isn't an issue on laptop screens. Is a bad tech design whoever implemented it.

It really hate being forced to play Whack-a-mole on the phone, when you only have a few minutes to search for important news. The video pop-up is the most annoying add, since it takes a little while, before you are allowed to whack it and very difficult to whack it at very the edge of the screen. I have made it my specialty, to whack the pop-ups without noticing what the ad is about, since I am not interested in any kind of ads, unless they are guaranteed to make me rich.

[Mad mick]

Look out dirty bomb is coming ! where is ?

Edited March 15, 2023 by Mad mick

[NanLaew]

52 minutes ago, IamNoone88 said:

steel container? It should be lead.

It's probably lead-lined.

 

Relax.

 

17 minutes ago, Mad mick said:

Look out dirty bomb is coming ! where is ?

No there's not.

 

Relax.

[kimamey]

19 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

 

That brings back memories. God ones