Passive radiation detection systems have been developed to screen passengers, vehicles, and cargo for illicit radioactive sources by measuring gamma and neutron signatures with separate, specialized sensors. The paper introduces a novel concept combining neutron and gamma sensing in a single detector, thus reducing the overall expense. Low-cost converter media capture thermal neutrons and commute neutron flux in energetic gammas, which are then detected by a common gamma detector. Energy signals above 3 MeV indicate the neutron captures. Two prototype systems are presented: (1) The NCD-BGO, a segmented 655 ml BGO scintillator with embedded Cd absorber, demonstrated an intrinsic thermal-neutron detection efficiency of about 50%. (2) The PVTNG, comprising 75 l of PVT scintillator complemented with PVC panels, exhibited a neutron sensitivity of 1.9 cps/ng of 252Cf, thus almost meeting the corresponding requirement for Radiation Portal Monitors. Moreover, an unconventional construction of scintillator and light readout, combined with innovative electronics and proper detector stabilization, improved the gamma detector performance noticeably and enabled nuclide identification.

Date Published: 7 May 2012
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 8382, Active and Passive Signatures III, 838209 (7 May 2012); doi: 10.1117/12.924082

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8382:
Active and Passive Signatures III
G. Charmaine Gilbreath; Chadwick Todd Hawley, Editor(s)