Title:

Non-Radioisotopic Alternative Technologies White Paper

Speaker:

Mr. Ryan Bechtel

Affiliation:

Health Physicist, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

When:

Thursday, January 30, 2020 at 11:00:00 AM   Add to Calendar

Where:

Boggs Building, Room 3-47

Host:

Nolan Hertel
daphne.brown@me.gatech.edu
4043855502

Abstract

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently produced a white paper that describes the status of the development and voluntary adoption of technologies with the potential to effectively replace risk-significant radioactive sources integral to industrial, medical, and research applications. This seminar summarizes the white paper and focuses on the current use of the most common Category 1 and 2 sealed sources used in the United States including colbalt-60 (Co-60); cesium-137 (Cs-137); iridium-192 (Ir-192); and americium-241 (Am-241). These sources are presently in widespread use in blood irradiation, research irradiation, radiotherapy, industrial sterilization, phytosanitary irradiation, sterile insect technique, well logging, and radiography. This seminar discusses the status of radioisotopic and non-radioisotopic technologies and outlines the efficacy, lifecycle costs, and applications of these alternative technologies and potential barriers to adoption.

Biography

Ryan Bechtel serves as a Health Physicist in the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In this role, Mr. Bechtel supports the Nuclear Section by chairing the Radioisotope Subcouncil, and by producing and reviewing technical documents to strengthen the security and resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure. He joined DHS in 2017. Mr. Bechtel serves at the DHS representative on the Interagency Radiation Source Protection and Security Task Force. He chaired the Non-Radioisotopic Alternative Technologies Working Group and in 2019 produced a White Paper to help users of radioisotope technology asses the viability of alternative technologies for their specific applications. Prior to joining DHS, Mr. Bechtel was a Nuclear Engineer with the Department of Energy from 2009-2017. He was the Nuclear Launch Safety Program Manager, responsible for the safe launch and earth escape of nuclear and radiological materials. He worked on several missions including the Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity. He was also a technical advisor to the State Department for space nuclear power and was a member of the US Delegation to the United Nations Committee of Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS), within the delegation he was the US Government lead for Space Nuclear Power Sources. He has served as the acting Chair of the Nuclear Power Sources Working Group of UNCOPUOS on several occasions. Mr. Bechtel was the Program Manager for Space Reactor Technologies from 2010-2014. He holds a M.S. in Nuclear Engineering, and graduate certificate in Management of Technology from Georgia Tech, M.S. in Civil Engineering (Environmental Engineering Concentration) and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Temple University, and is a licensed professional engineering in the state of Maryland.

Notes

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