International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Research Applications and Utilization of Accelerators
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SM/EN-01
Recent Developments in Fast Neutron Radiography for the Interrogation of Air Cargo Containers N.G. Cutmore1, Y. Liu1, H. Peng2, B.D. Sowerby1, J.R. Tickner1, and Y. Xie2 1CSIRO Minerals, Sydney, Australia Corresponding Author: brian.sowerby@csiro.au There is a worldwide need for improved methods for the scanning of consolidated air cargo for contraband such as illicit drugs and explosives. Ideally, cargo containers must be imaged without unpacking and with scan times of less than a few minutes. Fast neutron radiography techniques are particularly attractive for screening cargo. Neutrons have the required penetration, they interact with matter in a manner complementary to X-rays and they can be used to determine cargo composition. The Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has developed a scanner for fully-loaded air cargo containers. The scanner combines fast (14 MeV) neutron and γ-ray (or X-ray) radiography, using intense radiation sources and custom high-efficiency detector arrays. The ratio of the transmissions of neutrons and X-rays provides a measure of material composition that is much more sensitive than alternative dual high-energy (MeV) X-ray systems. A full-scale prototype scanner was used by Australian Customs Service to screen incoming air cargo at Brisbane International Airport in 2005/6. The trial of the scanner at Brisbane demonstrated the material discrimination capability of the technology and its ability to make hidden organic materials more obvious. Consolidated cargo was scanned in less than two minutes allowing high volumes of cargo to be screened rapidly. CSIRO is working directly with Nuctech Company Limited, Beijing, China to develop and commercialise the next generation in air cargo scanning technology. A commercial version of the airport scanner being developed by Nuctech and CSIRO is expected to be commissioned by January 2009. The commercial scanner combines a 14 MeV fast neutron radiography system with Nuctech’s dual-energy X-ray technology that uses a 6 MeV LINAC X-ray source and Binocular Stereoscopic imaging technology. The commercial scanner will have much better spatial resolution than the Brisbane scanner. The improved resolution, combined with Binocular Stereoscopic imaging, will allow complex cargo images to be separated into multiple layers, making it easier to identify threat items. We will present initial results from the new scanner and also discuss future potential applications of the technology for the detection of special nuclear materials and for the scanning of sea cargo containers.
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