Novel optical technologies for emergency preparedness and response: Mapping contaminations with alpha-emitting radionuclides

Luchkov, Maksym; Dangendorf, V.; Giesen, U.; Langner, Frank; Olaru, Claudia; Zadehrafi, M.; Klose, Annika; Kalmankoski, Kim; Sand, Johan; Ihantola, Sakari; Toivonen, H.; Walther, Clemens; Röttger, Stefan; Ioan, Mihail-Răzvan; Toivonen, Juha; Krasniqi, Faton

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2022.167895

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…• The Fresnel lens detection system used to measure alpha-induced radioluminescence is relatively large. This is because maximizing the radioluminescence throughput while minimizing the background signal requires a compromise between the diameter of the receiving optics (which determines the geometric efficiency of the system) and the focal length (which determines the FOV, which subsequently affects both the number of detected photons and filtering [17]). • The detector's size makes the drone integration difficult, which means it can only be integrated into medium-and large-sized UASs, with the sensor itself acting as the landing gear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This would require enlarging the PMT surface, reducing the focal length of the objective, or using mirrors with shorter focal lengths. However, this option would require a tradeoff with background light leakage [17]. An improved FOV would open the possibility of increasing the speed of the UAS and the distance between flight tracks, thus increasing the size of the area scanned with a single flight.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The radioluminescence light is collected by a Polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) Fresnel lens with a diameter of 452.9 mm and a focal length of 424.5 mm chosen to ensure a high light throughput in a manageable form factor [17]. Photon filtering is performed with 3 Semrock FF01-260/16-25 interference bandpass filters centered at 260 nm with a bandwidth of 16 nm.…”

Section: Detectormentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Mapping of Alpha-Emitting Radionuclides in the Environment Using an Unmanned Aircraft System

Royo,

Vargas,

Guillot

et al. 2024

Remote Sensing

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The protection of first responders from radioactive contamination with alpha emitters that may result from a radiological accident is of great complexity due to the short range of alpha particles in the air of a few centimeters. To overcome this issue, for the first time, a system mounted on a UAS for the near-real-time remote measurement of alpha particles has been developed, tested, and calibrated. The new system, based on an optical system adapted to be installed on a UAS in order to measure the UV-C fluorescence emitted by alpha particles in the air, has been tested and calibrated, carried out in the laboratory and in field experiments using UV-C LEDs and 241Am sources. In experimental flights, the probability of detecting a point source was determined to be approximately 60%. In the case of a surface extended source, a detection efficiency per unit surface activity of 10 counts per second per MBq cm−2 was calculated. A background count rate of UV-C of around 26 ± 28 s−1 for an integration time of 0.1 s was measured during flights, which led to a decision threshold surface activity of 5 MBq cm−2.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Detectormentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Mapping of Alpha-Emitting Radionuclides in the Environment Using an Unmanned Aircraft System

Royo,

Vargas,

Guillot

et al. 2024

Remote Sensing

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The radioluminescence light collection is done by a PMMA Fresnel lens with a diameter of 452.9 mm and a focal length of 424.5 mm chosen to ensure a high light throughput in a manageable form factor [12]. The photon filtering is done with 3 Semrock FF01-260/16-25 interference bandpass filters centered at 260 nm with a bandwidth of 16 nm.…”

Section: Detectormentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping of Alpha-Emitting Radionuclides in the Environment Using an Unmanned Aircraft System

Royo,

Vargas,

Colls

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The protection of first responders from radioactive contamination that may result from a radiological accident is of great importance and complexity. The complexity of detecting and quantifying such radioactive contamination is very high when it comes to the dispersion of alpha-emitting radionuclides in the environment. This work presents the development of an un-manned aerial monitoring system that integrates an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and a novel optical alpha radioluminescence detection system to scan and obtain information about the alpha-emitting radionuclides contaminated area on a 3D map. This manuscript describes a flexible hardware and software architecture for optical detection of alpha-emitting sources. The UAS is equipped with 4G/LTE air-ground communications and onboard computation to geolocate and send to the ground control station (GCS) the measured data in real-time and thus react to any anomaly detected during the mission. A GCS has also been developed for the correct visualization of the radioactive samples in a 3D map. This article shows the results obtained from the calibration of the detector in the laboratory as well as from the different flights performed on UV LEDs and a 100 MBq 241Am source to demonstrate the feasibility of the system in a realistic scenario.

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“…Research into long-range alpha detection via alpha-induced radio-luminescence (RL) can be broadly categorised based on the type of detector employed: point detectors, such as photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) [ 12 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], and flame detectors [ 23 ], versus camera systems equipped with charge-coupled devices (CCDs) [ 16 , 18 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancements in Remote Alpha Radiation Detection: Alpha-Induced Radio-Luminescence Imaging with Enhanced Ambient Light Suppression

Kong,

Scott,

Day

et al. 2024

Sensors

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Heavy nuclides like uranium and their decay products are commonly found in nuclear industries and can pose a significant health risk to humans due to their alpha-emitting properties. Traditional alpha detectors require close contact with the contaminated surface, which can be time-consuming, labour-intensive, and put personnel at risk. Remote detection is urgently needed but very challenging. To this end, a candidate detection mechanism is alpha-induced radio-luminescence. This approach uses the emission of photons from radio-ionised excited nitrogen molecules to imply the presence of alpha emitters from a distance. Herein, the use of this phenomenon to remotely image various alpha emitters with unparalleled levels of sensitivity and spatial accuracy is demonstrated. Notably, the system detected a 29 kBq Am-241 source at a distance of 3 m within 10 min. Furthermore, it demonstrated the capability to discern a 29 kBq source positioned 7 cm away from a 3 MBq source at a 2 m distance. Additionally, a ‘sandwich’ filter structure is described that incorporates an absorptive filter between two interference filters to enhance the ambient light rejection. The testing of the system is described in different lighting environments, including room light and inside a glovebox. This method promises safer and more efficient alpha monitoring, with applications in nuclear forensics, waste management and decommissioning.

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Novel optical technologies for emergency preparedness and response: Mapping contaminations with alpha-emitting radionuclides

Cited by 10 publications

References 15 publications

The Mapping of Alpha-Emitting Radionuclides in the Environment Using an Unmanned Aircraft System

The Mapping of Alpha-Emitting Radionuclides in the Environment Using an Unmanned Aircraft System

Mapping of Alpha-Emitting Radionuclides in the Environment Using an Unmanned Aircraft System

Advancements in Remote Alpha Radiation Detection: Alpha-Induced Radio-Luminescence Imaging with Enhanced Ambient Light Suppression

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