Joseph Bendahan

Differential Time of Flight Technique for the Detection of Special Nuclear Materials

An adaptation of the differential die away (DDA) technique, which enhances the detection of fissile materials, has been developed and demonstrated in the laboratory. The differential time-of-flight (DTOF) technique applies to situations where special nuclear material (SNM) is located some distance (up to a few meters) away, is accessible from only one side, and is either bare or embedded in an environment that is slightly neutron moderating, and where the more conventional DDA pulsed neutron source technique is less effective. The technique is based on the fission reaction of thermal neutrons with fissile material, if present. The thermal neutrons are furnished by the moderation of neutrons from an electronic neutron generator (ENG). Fast neutrons are generated in relatively narrow pulses of tens to hundreds of microseconds. They are slowed down in a suitable moderator surrounding the source. The time of flight (TOF) of these neutrons, before arrival at the SNM, spreads over orders of magnitude due to the wide spread in their velocities, which lead to a time spread of the neutron-induced fission in the SNM. Neutron signatures resulting from the fissions, e.g., prompt fast neutrons (as well as few delayed neutrons) can then be detected by fast neutron detectors well after the original source neutrons have died away. The fast neutron detectors must be insensitive to the numerous source-related thermal neutrons and are a critical component of the technique, since they can differentiate, by time as well as energy, between the fission signatures and the source-related background. The choice of source moderator is also important to the success of the technique. Two moderators were designed and studied: one made of polyethylene and the other made of beryllium (Be). The latter is superior delivering a higher flux and longer neutron die-away times. The feasibility of the DTOF technique was demonstrated by detecting a sample of 350 g 235U (in the form of 19.9% enriched uranium) at a range of distances and under a variety of conditions employing a commercial (d, T) pulsed neutron generator and the two moderators.

Image reconstruction from Pulsed Fast Neutron Analysis

Pulsed Fast Neutron Analysis (PFNA) has been demonstrated to detect drugs and explosives in trucks and large cargo containers. PFNA uses a collimated beam of nanosecond-pulsed fast neutrons that interact with the cargo contents to produce gamma rays characteristic to their elemental composition. By timing the arrival of the emitted radiation to an array of gamma-ray detectors a three-dimensional elemental density map or image of the cargo is created. The process to determine the elemental densities is complex and requires a number of steps. The first step consists of extracting from the characteristic gamma-ray spectra the counts associated with the elements of interest. Other steps are needed to correct for physical quantities such as gamma-ray production cross sections and angular distributions. The image processing includes also phenomenological corrections that take into account the neutron attenuation through the cargo, and the attenuation of the gamma rays from the point they were generated to the gamma-ray detectors. Additional processing is required to map the elemental densities from the data acquisition system of coordinates to a rectilinear system. This paper describes the image processing used to compute the elemental densities from the counts observed in the gamma-ray detectors.

Mobile TNA system to detect explosives and drugs concealed in cars and trucks

The drug problem in the U.S. is serious and efforts to fight it are constrained by the lack of adequate means to curb the inflow of smuggled narcotics into the country through cargo containers. Also, events such as the disastrous explosion in Oklahoma City, the IRA bombing in London, and the bombing of the U.S. military residence in Dharan make the development of new tools for the detection of explosives and drugs in vehicles imperative. Thermal neutron analysis (TNA) technology, developed for the detection of explosives in suitcases, and detection of landmines and unexploded ordnance is presently being applied to the nonintrusive detection of significant amounts of explosives and drugs concealed in cars, trucks and large cargo containers. TNA technology is based on the analysis of characteristic gamma rays emitted following thermal neutron capture. A TNA system can be used in a variety of operational scenarios, such as inspection before an unloaded cargo container from a spit is moved to temporary storage, inspection of trucks unloaded from a ferry, or inspection of vehicles parked close to Federal building or military bases. This paper will discuss the detection process and operational scenarios, and will present results from recent simulations and measurements.