AMS/NRCan Joint Survey Report: Aerial Campaign

Technical Report · Wed Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1171114· OSTI ID:1171114

Wasiolek, Piotr ^[1]; Stampahar, Jez ^[1]; Malchow, Rusty ^[1]; Stampahar, Tom ^[1]; Lukens, Mike ^[1]; Seywerd, Henry ^[2]; Fortin, Richard ^[2]; Harvey, Brad ^[2]; Sinclair, Laurel ^[2]

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1. National Security Technologies, LLC. (NSTec), Mercury, NV (United States)
2. Natural Resources Canada (Canada)

In January 2014 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Aerial Measuring System (AMS) and the Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) Nuclear Emergency Response project conducted a series of joint surveys at a number of locations in Nevada including the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The goal of this project was to compare the responses of the two agencies’ aerial radiation detection systems and data analysis techniques. This test included varied radioactive surface contamination levels and isotopic composition experienced at the NNSS and the differing data processing techniques utilized by the respective teams. Because both teams used the commercial aerial radiation detection systems from Radiation Solutions, Inc., the main focus of the campaign was to investigate the data acquisition techniques, data analysis, and ground-truth verification. The NRCan system consisted of four 4" × 4" × 16" NaI(Tl) scintillator crystals of which two were externally mounted in a modified commercial cargo basket certified for the Eurocopter AS350; the NNSA AMS system consisted of twelve 2" × 4" × 16" NaI(Tl) crystals in externally mounted dedicated pods. For NRCan, the joint survey provided an opportunity to characterize their system’s response to extended sources of various fission products at the NNSS. Since both systems play an important role in their respective countries’ national framework of radiological emergency response and are subject to multiple mutual cooperation agreements, it was important for each country to obtain more thorough knowledge of how they would employ these important assets and define the roles that they would each play in an actual response.

• Research Organization: National Security Technologies, LLC. (NSTec), Mercury, NV (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25946
• OSTI ID: 1171114
• Report Number(s): DOE/NV/25946--2289
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ACCIDENTS
AERIAL MONITORING
CANADIAN ORGANIZATIONS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DATA ACQUISITION
DATA ANALYSIS
FISSION PRODUCTS
GROUND TRUTH MEASUREMENTS
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
ISOTOPE RATIO
NEVADA TEST SITE
RADIATION DETECTION
SODIUM IODIDES
SOLID SCINTILLATION DETECTORS
SURFACE CONTAMINATION
US DOE
VERIFICATION