| WOLFMET tungsten alloy
is used as collimator or radiation shielding in the
following applications:
Geologging
Geologging is an exploration technique used mainly in
the oil and gas industries. It is also known as wireline
logging and borehole logging. A gamma ray source is
lowered into a borehole and the radiation penetrates
the rock strata. This data can then be analysed to determine
whether deposits of gas or oil are present. WOLFMET
tungsten alloy is used to shield the radioactive source
and to act as a collimator for the gamma beam.
Pipe-line inspection
Gamma radiation is used to inspect welds and to detect
cracks in pipelines. A gamma source is mounted on a
remote-controlled wheeled trolley (sometimes called
a "pig") and travels inside the length of
the pipe. A WOLFMET tungsten collimator is used to direct
the radiation onto the target, whilst the radioactive
source is housed inside tungsten shielding.
Industrial radiography
Industrial radiography uses gamma radiation to detect
structural faults in materials such as metal and concrete.
As with pipe-line inspection, the equipment uses tungsten
shielding, coupled with a WOLFMET tungsten collimator.
Thickness, density and level gauging Radioactive sources
are used in industrial processes to measure thickness,
density or levels of materials during production e.g.
paper, plastic film, steel sheet or surface coatings.
The material passes between a radioactive source, which
is housed in WOLFMET tungsten alloy, and a detector.
The strength of the detector signal is used to measure
the thickness, density or level of the material.
Homeland Security and Border Control
The penetrating power of radiation has also been put
to use in the fight against terrorism. The Homeland
Security industry has designed scanners that use gamma
radiation to detect objects in cargo containers or airline
baggage.
The radioactive sources are very strong and require
WOLFMET tungsten shielding to protect security staff
and members of the public from the radiation. A tungsten
collimator is also required to direct the gamma radiation
onto its target.
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