Design and optimization of the radioactive source arrangement for the level gauging of Petrochemical Urea Reactor

Islami Rad, Seyedeh Zahra; Eisavand Nazari, Sahar

doi:10.22055/jrmbs.2025.20193

Design and optimization of the radioactive source arrangement for the level gauging of Petrochemical Urea Reactor

Document Type : Full length research Paper

Authors

Seyedeh Zahra Islami rad

Sahar Eisavand Nazari

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

10.22055/jrmbs.2025.20193

Abstract

Measuring the level and height of liquids in industrial reactors at high temperature and pressure in the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries has particular importance due to the complexity of the production process. The height of Urea in the vessel can be measured using the nuclear level gauging method, which is a non-destructive method. Therefore, the energy of the gamma emitting source, the design, and arrangement of the geometry of the source, including the point or rod, and the detector material including the use of sodium iodide crystal or plastic scintillator are important. In this research, firstly, a nuclear level gauge system—comprising a source, detector, and a reactor with urea and high-temperature, high-pressure gases—was simulated using the MCNPX Monte Carlo code. The simulation results were then validated against experimental data. The study then optimized the detector's response by testing different arrangements of the radioactive source and its distances, as well as various detector types and geometries, to find the best configuration. The analysis revealed that using three strategically placed point sources is a superior and more cost-effective alternative to a rod source. This setup offers high accuracy and stability at a significantly lower production cost.

Keywords

Design and optimization

Radioactive source

Level gauge

Urea Reactor

Gamma-ray

Simulation

MCNPX Monte Carlo code

Subjects

nuclear physics

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