Performances of C-BORD’s tagged neutron inspection system for explosives and illicit drugs detection in cargo containers

International audienceIn the frame of the effective Container inspection at BORDer control points (C-BORD) project [H2020 program of the European Union (EU)], a Rapidly Relocatable Tagged Neutron Inspection System (RRTNIS) has been developed for a non-intrusive inspection of cargo containers, aiming at explosives and other illicit goods detection. Twenty large-volume NaI detectors are used to determine the elements composing inspected materials from their specific gamma-ray spectra signatures induced by fast neutrons. The RRTNIS inspection is focused on a specific suspect area selected by X-ray radiography. An unfolding algorithm decomposes the energy spectrum of this suspect area on a database of pure element gamma signatures. A classification is then performed between inorganic materials, such as metals, ceramics, or chemicals, and organic materials like wood, fabrics, or plastic goods. Concerning organic materials, the obtained elemental proportions of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen allow discriminating explosives from illicit drugs and benign substances. This article reports on the final laboratory tests performed at Commissariat L'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) Saclay, France, to assess the RRTNIS detection performances before further demonstration tests in a real seaport environment. Simulants of explosives and illicit drugs have been hidden at different depths inside iron or wood cargo materials, which are representative of the different neutron and gamma attenuation properties encountered in real cargo containers. Hundreds of experiments have been performed, showing that a few kilograms of explosives or narcotics can be detected by the RRTNIS in 10-min inspections

Gamma signatures of the C-BORD Tagged Neutron Inspection System

In the frame of C-BORD project (H2020 program of the EU), a Rapidly relocatable Tagged Neutron Inspection System (RRTNIS) is being developed to non-intrusively detect explosives, chemical threats, and other illicit goods in cargo containers. Material identification is performed through gamma spectroscopy, using twenty NaI detectors and four LaBr3 detectors, to determine the different elements composing the inspected item from their specific gamma signatures induced by fast neutrons. This is performed using an unfolding algorithm to decompose the energy spectrum of a suspect item, selected by X-ray radiography and on which the RRTNIS inspection is focused, on a database of pure element gamma signatures. This paper reports on simulated signatures for the NaI and LaBr3 detectors, constructed using the MCNP6 code. First experimental spectra of a few elements of interest are also presented

Scintilla: A new international platform for the development, evaluation and benchmarking of technologies to detect radioactive and nuclear material

Conference of 2013 3rd International Conference on Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation, Measurement Methods and Their Applications, ANIMMA 2013 ; Conference Code:102802International audienceFor Homeland Security, enhanced detection and identification of radioactive sources and nuclear material has become of increasing importance. The scintilla project aims at minimizing the risk of radioactive sources dissemination especially with masked and shielded material. SCINTILLA offers the capacity to finding a reliable alternative to Helium-3 based detection systems since the gas which is predominantly used in nuclear safeguards and security applications has now become very expensive, rare and nearly unavailable. SCINTILLA benchmarks will be based on international standards. Radiation Portal testing being carried out at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra (Italy)

Detection module of the C-BORD Rapidly Relocatable Tagged Neutron Inspection System (RRTNIS)

International audienceThis article reports a detailed description of the integration tests of the first Rapidly Relocatable Tagged Neutron Inspection System (RRTNIS) carried out at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra (Italy). This technology allows the detection and identification of suspicious or illicit materials (such as narcotics, explosives, contraband goods, etc.) inside a cargo container using active neutron interrogation, with the so-called associated particle technique. The method is based on the measurement of the gamma photons emitted by the de-excitation of nuclei that undergo, mainly, inelastic scatterings with incident fast neutrons (En ~ 14 MeV). A set of scintillation detectors (NaI:Tl and LaBr3:Ce) is employed to perform gamma spectroscopy. The data acquisition system is based on fast signal digitizers and customized data acquisition software. A general technical description of the detection module and an outline of the data acquisition system (DAQ) are given. Also, we present the results of the integration tests, in particular, some examples of the performance of the system in the laboratory are shown, specifically, when using no target (background measurement) and when using mono-elemental and an explosive simulant target. Obtained results suggest that all technical requirements are achieved, and the next step will be the field trials

Non-intrusive inspection of cargo containers using the C-BORD Rapidly Relocatable Tagged Neutron Inspection System

International audienceThe European H2020 project, entitled “effective Container inspection at BORDer control points” (C-BORD), aims to develop a framework of Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) technologies, for containers and large-volume freight at the EU borders. In this article the first results of the field trials of the Rapidly Relocatable Tagged Neutron Inspection System (RRTNIS) are reported. The tests were carried out at the customs administration of the Netherlands' (DCA) facility in the seaport of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. For the tests mock-up cargo containers were prepared. The containers were analyzed using the whole set of NII subsystems of the C-BORD framework. Each container underwent a session of subsequent scans with all the subsystems, in order to realistically reproduce the normal flow of inspections at the customs facility. The RRTNIS was tested under these realistic conditions, as well. The system was able to separate and identify the target materials, in mock-up containers, and improve the state-of-the-art in terms of the detected quantities

Scintilla European project, the successful research results

Conference of 4th International Conference on Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation Measurement Methods and their Applications, ANIMMA 2015 ; Conference Code:121554International audienceThe Scintilla FP7 project is ended in December 2014, the fruitful results of 3 years development and tests will be presented. SCINTILLA offers the capacity to finding a reliable alternative to Helium-3 based detection systems since the gas which is predominantly used in nuclear safeguards and security applications has now become very expensive, rare and nearly unavailable. SCINTILLA benchmarks results are based on international standards. Radiation Portal tests were carried out at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra (Italy). The scintilla project addresses few main issues. The first is to develop neutron detectors for Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) and the second is the need of new wearable integrated solutions for Spectrometric Personal Radiation Monitor (SPRM). The partners which provide technical systems of the scintilla project are INFN-ANSALDO, CEA, SYMETRICA and SAPHYMO. For RPM, the objective is to find reliable alternatives to Helium-3 historical neutron detector and provide technical solutions which cope with tests for reliable mobile and cost effective. For Spectrometric Personal Radiation Monitor (SPRM), SCINTILLA is innovating in technology areas that offer complementary capabilities for detecting and identifying gamma Two CZT (Cadmium Zinc Telluride) addressing contexts of used by first responder technologies, one is a wearable detector and the second is a gamma camera complemented by advanced image processing technologies