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Contraband detection

Abstract

Inspecting incoming cargo for drugs, explosives and other contraband would quickly overwhelm inspection agencies even if a small percentage of the cargoes were manually searched. Now a new accelerator-based inspection system using pulsed fast neutron analysis (PFNA) allows automated inspection of loaded cargo containers and trucks. A collimated pulsed beam of fast neutrons, scanned over the side of a cargo container as it passes, excites the nuclei of common elements in bulk materials. The primary signals of interest for contraband are gammaray emissions following inelastic scattering of the fast neutrons from carbon and oxygen. Direct imaging of the contents of the material by time-of-flight analysis identifies the position of the interactions, while gamma-ray spectroscopy identifies the elemental gamma rays. The ratio of elements or other combinations of the elemental signatures are used to identify contraband - a high carbon-to-oxygen ratio, for example, is characteristic of drugs. The system incorporates gamma ray detectors, and analogue and digital processors sort the pulses for position and elemental information. Detection algorithms produce three-dimensional images of possible concealed contraband. From these images the inspector can identify suspicious objects within the cargo container.
Authors:
Gozzani, T. [1] 
  1. Science Applications International Corporation, Santa Clara (United States)
Publication Date:
Jul 15, 1995
Product Type:
Journal Article
Report Number:
INIS-XC-16A0208
Resource Relation:
Journal Name: CERN Courier; Journal Volume: 35; Journal Issue: 5; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Subject:
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; ALGORITHMS; CARBON; CARGO; FAST NEUTRONS; GAMMA RADIATION; GAMMA SPECTROSCOPY; INELASTIC SCATTERING; OXYGEN; TIME-OF-FLIGHT METHOD
OSTI ID:
22556058
Country of Origin:
CERN
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
Journal ID: ISSN 0304-288X; CODEN: CECOA2; TRN: XC16A0208127217
Availability:
Available on-line: http://cds.cern.ch/record/1732422/files/vol35-issue5-p017b-e.pdf
Submitting Site:
INIS
Size:
page(s) 17-20
Announcement Date:
Jan 09, 2017

Citation Formats

Gozzani, T. Contraband detection. CERN: N. p., 1995. Web.
Gozzani, T. Contraband detection. CERN.
Gozzani, T. 1995. "Contraband detection." CERN.
@misc{etde_22556058,
title = {Contraband detection}
author = {Gozzani, T.}
abstractNote = {Inspecting incoming cargo for drugs, explosives and other contraband would quickly overwhelm inspection agencies even if a small percentage of the cargoes were manually searched. Now a new accelerator-based inspection system using pulsed fast neutron analysis (PFNA) allows automated inspection of loaded cargo containers and trucks. A collimated pulsed beam of fast neutrons, scanned over the side of a cargo container as it passes, excites the nuclei of common elements in bulk materials. The primary signals of interest for contraband are gammaray emissions following inelastic scattering of the fast neutrons from carbon and oxygen. Direct imaging of the contents of the material by time-of-flight analysis identifies the position of the interactions, while gamma-ray spectroscopy identifies the elemental gamma rays. The ratio of elements or other combinations of the elemental signatures are used to identify contraband - a high carbon-to-oxygen ratio, for example, is characteristic of drugs. The system incorporates gamma ray detectors, and analogue and digital processors sort the pulses for position and elemental information. Detection algorithms produce three-dimensional images of possible concealed contraband. From these images the inspector can identify suspicious objects within the cargo container.}
journal = []
issue = {5}
volume = {35}
journal type = {AC}
place = {CERN}
year = {1995}
month = {Jul}
}