Development of a Si-PM based alpha camera for plutonium detection in nuclear fuel facilities

Morishita, Yuki; Yamamoto, Seiichi; Izaki, Kenji; Kaneko, Junichi; Toi, Kohei; Tsubota, Youichi

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2013.12.052

Cited by 41 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Therefore, detectors which require direct contact with alpha particles need to be in close proximity to any surface or object to determine if alpha contamination is present, at a distance of less than the mean free path of the alpha particles. This causes a number of issues, as documented by other researchers [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. As objects to be monitored may be in a mixed radiation environment, personnel carrying out detection activities may require personal protective equipment (PPE) and have limited time in which they can safely operate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

First Results of Using a UVTron Flame Sensor to Detect Alpha-Induced Air Fluorescence in the UVC Wavelength Range

Crompton

Gamage

Bell

et al. 2017

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this work, a robust stand-off alpha detection method using the secondary effects of alpha radiation has been sought. Alpha particles ionise the surrounding atmosphere as they travel. Fluorescence photons produced as a consequence of this can be used to detect the source of the alpha emissions. This paper details experiments carried out to detect this fluorescence, with the focus on photons in the ultraviolet C (UVC) wavelength range (180–280 nm). A detector, UVTron R9533 (Hamamatsu, 325-6, Sunayama-cho, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Pref., 430-8587, Japan), designed to detect the UVC emissions from flames for fire alarm purposes, was tested in various gas atmospheres with a 210Po alpha source to determine if this could provide an avenue for stand-off alpha detection. The results of the experiments show that this detector is capable of detecting alpha-induced air fluorescence in normal indoor lighting conditions, as the interference from daylight and artificial lighting is less influential on this detection system which operates below the UVA and UVB wavelength ranges (280–315 nm and 315–380 nm respectively). Assuming a standard true1r2 drop off in signal, the limit of detection in this configuration can be calculated to be approximately 240 mm, well beyond the range of alpha-particles in air, which indicates that this approach could have potential for stand-off alpha detection. The gas atmospheres tested produced an increase in the detector count, with xenon having the greatest effect with a measured 52% increase in the detector response in comparison to the detector response in an air atmosphere. This type of alpha detection system could be operated at a distance, where it would potentially provide a more cost effective, safer, and faster solution in comparison with traditional alpha detection methods to detect and characterise alpha contamination in nuclear decommissioning and security applications.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

First Results of Using a UVTron Flame Sensor to Detect Alpha-Induced Air Fluorescence in the UVC Wavelength Range

Crompton

Gamage

Bell

et al. 2017

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…C ERIUM-doped Gd 3 Al 2 Ga 3 O 12 (Ce:GAGG) is a relatively new single crystal scintillator with several properties that make it interesting for applications such as gamma spectroscopy [1], [2], alpha particle detection [3], [4] and nuclear medicine [5]- [9]. The material was first reported in 2011 and single crystals can be grown by the Czochralski (Cz) method [10], [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Resolution and Temperature Dependence of Ce:GAGG Coupled to Silicon Photomultipliers

Seitz

Rivera

Stewart

2016

IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract-Scintillators are a critical component of sensor systems for the detection of ionizing radiation. Such systems have a diverse portfolio of applications from medical imaging, well logging in oil exploration and detection systems for the prevention of the illicit movement of nuclear materials. The rare earth element cerium is an ideal dopant for a variety of host scintillating materials due to the fast 5d1 → 4f radiative transition of Ce 3+ . Cerium-doped Gadolinium Aluminium Gallium Garnet (Ce:GAGG) is a relatively new single crystal scintillator with several interesting properties. These include high light yield; an emission peak well-matched to silicon sensors; and a low intrinsic energy resolution. Moreover, the material has a high density and is non-hygroscopic. In this article we review the properties of cerium-doped GAGG and report Energy Resolution (ER) measurements over the temperature range -10• C to +50• C for 3 × 3 × 30 mm 3 Ce:GAGG crystals optically coupled to a Silicon Photomultipler (SiPM) sensor with a 3mm × 3mm active area. In addition the linearity of the scintillator-SiPM response as a function of gamma energy is reported.

show abstract

“…SNM has the particularity of emitting fast neutrons and gamma rays; both signatures should be used to detect SNM efficiently and unambiguously. Some advanced nuclearnonproliferation efforts include the localization of material of interest, with examples ranging from the localization of a threat object in hostile environments [3] to the localization of nuclear materials in nuclear facilities [4]. The latter is an important part of nuclear-safeguards activities that focus on material accountancy; facilities must be thoroughly scanned to ensure accurate declarations regarding nuclear materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Angular-resolution and material-characterization measurements for a dual-particle imaging system with mixed-oxide fuel

Poitrasson-Rivière

Polack

Hamel

et al. 2015

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A:

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c t A dual-particle imaging (DPI) system, capable of simultaneously imaging fast neutrons and gamma rays, has been operated in the presence of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel to assess the system's angular resolution and material-characterization capabilities. The detection principle is based on the scattering physics of neutrons (elastic scattering) and gamma rays (Compton scattering) in organic and inorganic scintillators. The detection system is designed as a combination of a two-plane Compton camera and a neutronscatter camera. The front plane consists of EJ-309 liquid scintillators and the back plane consists of interleaved EJ-309 and NaI(Tl) scintillators. MCNPX-PoliMi was used to optimize the geometry of the system and the resulting prototype was built and tested using a Cf-252 source as an SNM surrogate. A software package was developed to acquire and process data in real time. The software was used for a measurement campaign to assess the angular resolution of the imaging system with MOX samples. Measurements of two MOX canisters of similar isotopics and intensity were performed for 6 different canister separations (from 51 to 301, corresponding to distances of 21 cm and 131 cm, respectively). The measurements yielded a minimum separation of 201 at 2.5 m (86-cm separation) required to see 2 separate hot spots. Additionally, the results displayed good agreement with MCNPX-PoliMi simulations. These results indicate an angular resolution between 151 and 201, given the 51 step. Coupled with its large field of view, and its capability to differentiate between spontaneous fission and (α,n) sources, the DPI system shows its potential for nuclear-nonproliferation applications.

show abstract

Development of a Si-PM based alpha camera for plutonium detection in nuclear fuel facilities

Cited by 41 publications

References 12 publications

First Results of Using a UVTron Flame Sensor to Detect Alpha-Induced Air Fluorescence in the UVC Wavelength Range

First Results of Using a UVTron Flame Sensor to Detect Alpha-Induced Air Fluorescence in the UVC Wavelength Range

Energy Resolution and Temperature Dependence of Ce:GAGG Coupled to Silicon Photomultipliers

Angular-resolution and material-characterization measurements for a dual-particle imaging system with mixed-oxide fuel

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About