Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Gas Flow to Enhance the Detection of Alpha-Induced Air Radioluminescence Based on a UVTron Flame Sensor
AU - Crompton, Anita
AU - Akurugoda Gamage, Kelum
AU - Bell, Steven
AU - Wilson, Andrew
AU - Jenkins, Alex
AU - Tried, Divyesh
PY - 2018/6/5
Y1 - 2018/6/5
N2 - In many field applications where alpha-induced radioluminescence (or so-called UV fluorescence) could potentially be used for stand-off detection of alpha-emitting materials, it may not be possible to create a fully purged gas atmosphere. Hence, an alternative gas delivery method to utilise the radioluminescence enhancing properties of gases has been investigated, with the novel results from this presented herewithin. A solar blind ultraviolet C (UVC) sensor (UVTron R9533, Hamamatsu, Japan) has been used to detect changes in the signal in the UVC wavelength range (180–280 nm), where gases of Ar, Xe, Ne, N2, Kr, and P-10 were flowed over a 6.95 MBq 210Po source using a narrow diameter pipe close to the source. In comparison with an air atmosphere, there was an increase in signal in all instances, the greatest being the flow of Xe, which in one instance greater than doubled the average counts per second. This increase in signal could prove beneficial in the design of a stand-off alpha detector to detect the very small UVC radioluminescence signals from alpha-emitting materials found in nuclear decommissioning environments.
AB - In many field applications where alpha-induced radioluminescence (or so-called UV fluorescence) could potentially be used for stand-off detection of alpha-emitting materials, it may not be possible to create a fully purged gas atmosphere. Hence, an alternative gas delivery method to utilise the radioluminescence enhancing properties of gases has been investigated, with the novel results from this presented herewithin. A solar blind ultraviolet C (UVC) sensor (UVTron R9533, Hamamatsu, Japan) has been used to detect changes in the signal in the UVC wavelength range (180–280 nm), where gases of Ar, Xe, Ne, N2, Kr, and P-10 were flowed over a 6.95 MBq 210Po source using a narrow diameter pipe close to the source. In comparison with an air atmosphere, there was an increase in signal in all instances, the greatest being the flow of Xe, which in one instance greater than doubled the average counts per second. This increase in signal could prove beneficial in the design of a stand-off alpha detector to detect the very small UVC radioluminescence signals from alpha-emitting materials found in nuclear decommissioning environments.
KW - UVTron flame detector
KW - alpha detection
KW - alpha-induced air radioluminescence
KW - alpha imaging
KW - nuclear decontamination and decommissioning
KW - gas scintillation
U2 - 10.3390/s18061842
DO - 10.3390/s18061842
M3 - Journal article
VL - 18
JO - Sensors
JF - Sensors
SN - 1424-8220
IS - 6
M1 - 1842
ER -