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Authors (affiliation): 1. Maksym Luchkov (PTB, Germany), 2. Claudia Olaru (IFIN-HH, Romania), 3. Annika Klose (LUH-IRS, Germany), 4. Ioana Lalau (IFIN-HH, Romania), 5. Andrei Antohe (IFIN-HH, Romania), 6. Mastaneh Zadehrafi (IFIN-HH, Romania), 7. Clemens Walther (LUH-IRS, Germany), 8. Mihail-Razvan Ioan (IFIN-HH, Romania), 9. Faton Krasniqi (PTB, Germany)
The optical detection of alpha sources presents solid advantages over conventional close range particle detection in terms of operational safety and source localization. In the framework of the EMPIR project "RemoteALPHA", two large diameter radioluminescence scanning systems were developed and tested against a variety of alpha emitting sources. Considering the working distance of 2 m, the scan resolution of 2 mm can be reached, with the detection limit as low as 4 kBq at 1 s pixel integration time.
The UV image is obtained through the mechanical movement of an optical system with the help of two goniometric stages, giving the scan defined in pitch and yaw angles. This scan is then superimposed on the depth camera RGBD image (having color and depth values) to outline the source shape and location.
This work presents the application of the developed radioluminescence sensing devices and UV imaging techniques to the detection of low activity alpha sources: pitchblende minerals, contaminated environmental samples, and nuclear materials. The measurements were performed in darkness with a source-detector distance of 2 m. Surface activities as low as 80 Bq cm-2 are reported [1].
The proposed measurement approach allows unsupervised alpha source localization and contamination mapping from a safe distance, which can be adapted to support decommissioning activities at nuclear installations, management of nuclear materials, and other tasks concerning the handling of alpha emitting radionuclides.
[1] Klose, A., Luchkov M. et al. On the way to remote sensing of alpha radiation: radioluminescence of pitchblende samples, Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry (2022); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08540-6.
