New portable hand-held radiation instruments for measurements and monitoring

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6430573

Fehlau, P E

Hand-held radiation monitors are often used to search pedestrians and motor vehicles for special nuclear material (SNM) as part of a physical protection plan for nuclear materials. Recently, the Los Alamos Advanced Nuclear Technology group has commercialized an improved hand-held monitor that can be used for both physical-protection monitoring and verification measurements in nuclear material control and waste management. The new monitoring instruments are smaller and lighter; operate much longer on a battery charge; are available with NaI(Tl) or neutron and gamma-ray sensitive plastic scintillation detectors; and are less expensive than other comparable instruments. They also have a second operating mode for making precise measurements over counting times as long as 99 s. This mode permits making basic verification measurements that may be needed before transporting nuclear material or waste outside protected areas. Improved verification measurements can be made with a second new hand-held instrument that has a stabilized detector and three separate gamma-ray energy windows to obtain spectral information for SNM quantity, enrichment, or material-type verification.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6430573
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-87-2116; CONF-870713-17; ON: DE87011752
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

055001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability-- Technical Aspects
440101 -- Radiation Instrumentation-- General Detectors or Monitors & Radiometric Instruments
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ACTINIDES
COMMERCIALIZATION
CRIME
DETECTION
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
MONITORING
MONITORS
NUCLEAR MATERIALS DIVERSION
NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT
PHOSPHORS
PHYSICAL PROTECTION
PLASTIC SCINTILLATORS
PLUTONIUM
PORTABLE EQUIPMENT
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIATION MONITORS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SHIELDING
THEFT
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
WASTES