Scatter in Cargo Radiography
Abstract
As a complement to passive detection systems, radiographic inspection of cargo is an increasingly important tool for homeland security because it has the potential to detect highly attenuating objects associated with special nuclear material or surrounding shielding, in addition to screening for items such as drugs or contraband. Radiographic detection of such threat objects relies on high image contrast between regions of different density and atomic number (Z). Threat detection is affected by scatter of the interrogating beamin the cargo, the radiographic system itself, and the surrounding environment, which degrades image contrast. Here, we estimate the extent to which scatter plays a role in radiographic imaging of cargo containers. Stochastic transport simulations were performed to determine the details of the radiography equipment and surrounding environment, which are important in reproducing measured data and to investigate scatter magnitudes for typical cargo. We find that scatter plays a stronger role in cargo radiography than in typicalmedical imaging scenarios, even for low-density cargo, with scatter-toprimary ratios ranging from 0.14 for very low density cargo, to between 0.20 and 0.40 for typical cargo, and higher yet for dense cargo.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1016205
- Report Number(s):
- INL/JOU-11-22417
Journal ID: ISSN 0969-8043; TRN: US1103015
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-05ID14517
- Resource Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal Name:
- Applied Radiation and Isotopes
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 69; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 0969-8043
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS; ATOMIC NUMBER; CARGO; CONTAINERS; DETECTION; SECURITY; SHIELDING; TRANSPORT; cargo inspection; Monte Carlo simulation; radiographic image simulation; radiography; scatter; special nuclear material detection
Citation Formats
Miller, Erin A, Caggiano, Joseph A, Runkle, Robert C, White, Timothy A, and Bevill, Aaron M. Scatter in Cargo Radiography. United States: N. p., 2011.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2010.12.006.
Miller, Erin A, Caggiano, Joseph A, Runkle, Robert C, White, Timothy A, & Bevill, Aaron M. Scatter in Cargo Radiography. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2010.12.006
Miller, Erin A, Caggiano, Joseph A, Runkle, Robert C, White, Timothy A, and Bevill, Aaron M. 2011.
"Scatter in Cargo Radiography". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2010.12.006.
@article{osti_1016205,
title = {Scatter in Cargo Radiography},
author = {Miller, Erin A and Caggiano, Joseph A and Runkle, Robert C and White, Timothy A and Bevill, Aaron M},
abstractNote = {As a complement to passive detection systems, radiographic inspection of cargo is an increasingly important tool for homeland security because it has the potential to detect highly attenuating objects associated with special nuclear material or surrounding shielding, in addition to screening for items such as drugs or contraband. Radiographic detection of such threat objects relies on high image contrast between regions of different density and atomic number (Z). Threat detection is affected by scatter of the interrogating beamin the cargo, the radiographic system itself, and the surrounding environment, which degrades image contrast. Here, we estimate the extent to which scatter plays a role in radiographic imaging of cargo containers. Stochastic transport simulations were performed to determine the details of the radiography equipment and surrounding environment, which are important in reproducing measured data and to investigate scatter magnitudes for typical cargo. We find that scatter plays a stronger role in cargo radiography than in typicalmedical imaging scenarios, even for low-density cargo, with scatter-toprimary ratios ranging from 0.14 for very low density cargo, to between 0.20 and 0.40 for typical cargo, and higher yet for dense cargo.},
doi = {10.1016/j.apradiso.2010.12.006},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1016205},
journal = {Applied Radiation and Isotopes},
issn = {0969-8043},
number = 3,
volume = 69,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2011},
month = {Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2011}
}