Mitchell L. Woodring

Advanced radiation imaging of low-intensity gamma-ray sources

Abstract Imaging gamma-ray sources and distributions of low intensity is difficult using current commercially available radiation imagers. Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc. has carried out the research and development necessary to construct a novel, compact radiation-imaging device, RADCAM, for low-intensity applications. The device consists of a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT) coupled to a CsI(Na) scintillation crystal, which is an excellent candidate for such applications due to its high light output. A tungsten coded-aperture mask, placed in front of the scintillator, creates a gamma-ray intensity pattern across the face of the crystal. The PSPMT detects the resulting scintillation pattern and the analog output signals are captured and converted to digital signals by the RMD PSPMT interface card. The digital data is stored and processed by a portable personal computer. The gamma-ray “shadowgram” is then mathematically decoded to yield the original source image. The pseudo-color radiation-source image is overlaid on a video picture of the same area captured by a high-resolution CCD. The combined image is displayed on screen as an accurate map of radioactive gamma-ray sources in the physical environment. Data acquisition and image display are controlled by the IMager Acquisition and Graphical-user-interface Environment (IMAGE), a Windows-NT program developed for the imager.

Advanced multi-dimensional imaging of gamma-ray radiation

Abstract The tracking of radiation contamination and distribution has become a high-priority US DOE task. To support DOE needs, Radiation Monitoring Devices Inc. has been actively carrying out research and development on a gamma-radiation imager, RadCam 2000 TM . The imager is based upon a position-sensitive PMT coupled to a scintillator near a MURA coded aperture. The modulated gamma flux detected by the PSPMT is mathematically decoded to produce images that are computer displayed in near real time. Additionally, we have developed a data-manipulation scheme which allows a multi-dimensional data array, comprised of x position, y position, and energy, to be used in the imaging process. In the imager software a gate can be set on a specific isotope energy to reveal where in the field of view the gated data lies or, conversely, a gate can be set on an area in the field of view to examine what isotopes are present in that area. This process is complicated by the FFT decoding process used with the coded aperture; however, we have achieved excellent performance and results are presented here.

Field tests of a NaI(Tl)-based vehicle portal monitor at border crossings

Radiation portal monitors are commonly used at international border crossings to detect illicit transport of radioactive material. Most monitors use plastic scintillators to detect gamma rays, but next-generation monitors may contain NaI(Tl). In order to directly compare the performance of the two types of detectors, a prototype NaI(Tl) monitor was tested at two international border crossings adjacent to a comparable plastic scintillator monitor. The NaI(Tl) monitor housed four large detectors, each 10.2 cm /spl times/ 10.2 cm /spl times/ 41 cm. The empirical data set from the two field tests contains approximately 3800 passages with known cargo loads for each vehicle. For a small subset of the vehicles, high purity germanium detector spectra were also collected. During the survey period several vehicles containing commercial products with naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) passed through the monitor. Typical NORM cargo included pottery, large granite slabs, rock-based floor tiles, construction stone blocks, abrasive material, and fertilizer. Non-NORM sources included a large source of /sup 60/Co (200,000 GBq) and a shipment of uranium oxide, both items being legally transported. The information obtained during the tests provides a good empirical data set to compare the effectiveness of NaI(Tl) and plastic-scintillator portal monitors. The capability to be sensitive to illicit materials, but not alarm on NORM, is a key figure of merit for portal monitors.

Time Series Evaluation of Radiation Portal Monitor Data for Point Source Detection

The time series of data from a radiation portal monitor (RPM) system are evaluated for the presence of point sources by isolating the contribution of anomalous radiation. Energy-windowed background spectra taken from the RPM are compared with the observed spectra at each time step during a vehicle drive-through. The total signal is turned into a ¿spectral distance¿ index using this method. This provides a time series with reduced systematic fluctuations due to background attenuation by the vehicle, and allows for point source detection by time-series analyses. The anomalous time series is reanalyzed by using a wavelet filter function of similar size to the expected source profile. A number of real drive-through data sets taken at a U.S. port of entry are analyzed in this way. A set of isotopes are injected into the data set, and the resultant ¿benign¿ and ¿injected¿ data sets are analyzed with gross-counting, spectral-ratio, and time-based algorithms. Spectral and time methods together offer a significant increase to detection performance.

Flow cytometer in the infrared: inexpensive modifications to a commercial instrument.

The application of molecules that fluoresce in the infrared (IR) region to measure cell products would be enhanced by a flow cytometer capable of measuring them. To our knowledge, none exist at this time. Accordingly, we have developed such an instrument.

Final Technical Report for the Neutron Detection without Helium-3 Project

This report details the results of the research and development work accomplished for the ‘Neutron Detection without Helium-3’ project conducted during the 2011-2013 fiscal years. The primary focus of the project was to investigate commercially available technologies that might be used in safeguards applications in the relatively near term. Other technologies that are being developed may be more applicable in the future, but were outside the scope of this study.

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in Cargo at US Borders

Abstract In the USA and other countries large numbers of vehicles pass through border crossings each day. The illicit movement of radioactive sources is a concern that has resulted in the installation of radiation detection and identification instruments at border crossing points. This activity is judged to be necessary because of the possibility of an act of terrorism involving a radioactive source that may include any number of dangerous radionuclides. The problem of detecting, identifying and interdicting illicit radioactive sources is complicated by the fact that many materials present in cargo are somewhat radioactive. Some cargo contains naturally occurring radioactive material that may trigger radiation portal monitor alarms. Such nuisance alarms can be an operational limiting factor for screening of cargo at border crossings. Information about the nature of the radioactive materials in cargo that can interfere with the detection of radionuclides of concern is necessary to help anticipate and recognise likely sources of these nuisance alarms.

BF3 Neutron Detector Tests

Radiation portal monitors used for interdiction of illicit materials at borders include highly sensitive neutron detection systems. The main reason for having neutron detection capability is to detect fission neutrons from plutonium. The currently deployed radiation portal monitors (RPMs) from Ludlum and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) use neutron detectors based upon 3He-filled gas proportional counters, which are the most common large neutron detector. There is a declining supply of 3He in the world; thus, methods to reduce the use of this gas in RPMs with minimal changes to the current system designs and detection capabilities are being investigated. Reported here are the results of tests of the efficiency of BF3 tubes at a pressure of 800 torr. These measurements were made partially to validate models of the RPM system that have been modified to simulate the performance of BF3-filled tubes. While BF3 could be a potential replacement for 3He, there are limitations to its use in deployed systems.

3He Neutron Detector Pressure Effect and Comparison to Models

Reported here are the results of measurements performed to determine the efficiency of 3He filled proportional counters as a function of gas pressure in the SAIC system. Motivation for these measurements was largely to validate the current model of the SAIC system. Those predictions indicated that the neutron detection efficiency plotted as a function of pressure has a simple, logarithmic shape. As for absolute performance, the model results indicated the 3He pressure in the current SAIC system could not be reduced appreciably while meeting the current required level of detection sensitivity. Thus, saving 3He by reducing its pressure was predicted not to be a viable option in the current SAIC system.

Modeling and measurements for mitigating interference from skyshine

Skyshine, the radiation scattered in the air above a high-activity gamma-ray source, can produce interference with radiation portal monitor (RPM) systems at distances up to even many hundred meters. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been engaged in a campaign of measurements, design work and modeling that explore methods of mitigating the effects of skyshine on outdoor measurements with sensitive instruments. An overview of our work with shielding of skyshine is being reported by us in another paper at this conference. This paper will concentrate on two topics: measurements and modeling with Monte Carlo transport calculations to characterize skyshine from an iridium-192 source, and testing of a prototype louver system, designed and fabricated at PNNL, as a shielding approach to limit the impact of skyshine interference on RPM systems.