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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Drones for Decommissioning

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has responsibility for regulating the safe decommissioning of facilities and sites to meet the License Termination Rule in 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 20, Standards for Protection Against Radiation, Subpart E “Radiological Criteria for License Termination.” Decommissioning is performed in accordance with 10 CFR Part 50, Domestic Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities, as part of license termination (§50.82) and release of the facility or site for unrestricted use (§50.83). The guidance currently demonstrates the minimum requirements and necessary conditions for conducting radiological surveys by a person carrying a radiation detector(s). The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) evaluated the use of an unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) to conduct radiological surveys that could be used in decommissioning to potentially reduce time, cost, and worker safety compared to current survey methods. The objective of this project was to evaluate the performance and limitations of a UAV to support a decommissioning radiological survey and compare it to a radiological survey conducted by a human. The primary research questions of interest evaluated were: 1. Did observed UAV paths differ from human paths and, if so, how much? 2. Did survey path deviation affect survey results and, if so, how? 3. Were radiological measurements from human and UAV surveys significantly different? To answer these research questions, an experimental field was set up at PNNL’s 3440 test track, and it included radiological sources commonly surveyed during decommissioning: cobalt-60 (Co-60), cesium-137 (Cs-137), and americium-241 (Am-241). Nine check sources (three each of Am-241, Cs-137, and Co-60) with activities ranging from 3.54 µCi to 39.34 µCi were set over a path that also included an area for measuring background radiation. An Aurelia X6 UAV coupled with a GPS and lidar unit was used to conduct the radiological surveys. UAV and human surveys were conducted using two different NaI(Tl) scintillation radiation detectors (2 in. × 2 in. Ludlum, Inc. and 2 in. × 0.04 in. Alpha Spectra, Inc.) at a travel velocity of approximately 0.2 m/s at a low (15–40 cm median altitude) or high (87–105 cm median altitude) survey altitude. Since the survey velocity and altitude parameters were atypical for normal UAV operations, testing was done prior to conducting the radiological surveys to establish airworthiness, evaluate the navigation system, and establish flight control. Human and UAV surveys were paired according to the detector type and altitude regime to compare the survey data. The results of this proof-of-concept research determined that the UAV and human surveys followed similar survey paths and detected the radiological sources with no significant statistical difference (in 33 out of 36 surveys). However, further research is needed prior to deploying UAVs for decommissioning surveys.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2023

Improving to the neutron fluence rate monitor measurement system at the Advanced Test Reactor

The existing fluence monitor wire scanning system at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) was designed and installed for use in the Engineering Test Reactor (ETR) when it began operation in 1958. The wire scanner was operated in ETR for over 20 years until ATR began operation, when it was moved to the ATR west canal area in 1971 and subsequently moved to the west canal in 2006 where it presently resides. With a continued service life of 65 years the system is well beyond the typical design life of 20 years for these types of systems. The need to update the data acquisition and control system was identified, and the benefits of replacing the existing sodium iodide (NaI) detector with an electronically cooled high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector are discussed.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improving to the neutron fluence rate monitor measurement system at the Advanced Test Reactor [Poster]

The existing fluence monitor wire scanning system at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) was designed and installed for use in the Engineering Test Reactor (ETR) when it began operation in 1958. The wire scanner was operated in ETR for over 20 years until ATR began operation, when it was moved to the ATR west canal area in 1971 and subsequently moved to the west canal in 2006 where it presently resides. With a continued service life of 65 years the system is well beyond the typical design life of 20 years for these types of systems. The need to update the data acquisition and control system was identified, and the benefits of replacing the existing sodium iodide (NaI) detector with an electronically cooled high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector are discussed. The wirescanner system in the ATR canal is utilized after every reactor cycle by the ATR Radiation Measurements Laboratory (RML) to assess the activation of cobalt and nickel dosimeter wires during the cycle. These wires become activated through exposure to thermal and fast neutrons respectively during the irradiation cycle and are highly radioactive upon shutdown. It is for this reason that the wirescanner is used in the ATR canal rather than transporting the dosimeters to another facility. A scoping study was performed to develop a base-line design to ensure that existing capabilities could be replaced with a new system. The new hardware will enable automated measuring of several flux monitor holders without necessitating the removal of the flux wires. In this way, flux wire measurements will be performed with minimal dose to the technicians and will not be limited by canal operations as is presently the case. The new control and acquisition software will be based on commercially available and supported systems that have a wide user-base to provide long-term stability. An electronically cooled HPGe detector will be used to provide high-resolution gamma-ray measurements, an improvement from the low-resolution sodium-iodide detector that is presently deployed. The electronic cooler eliminates the need for liquid nitrogen to cool the detector head. A new collimator has been designed to house the new detector and allow for sufficient counting rates.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Neural Network Approaches for Mobile Spectroscopic Gamma-Ray Source Detection

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) for performing spectroscopic gamma-ray source identification have been previously introduced, primarily for applications in controlled laboratory settings. To understand the utility of these methods in scenarios and environments more relevant to nuclear safety and security, this work examines the use of ANNs for mobile detection, which involves highly variable gamma-ray background, low signal-to-noise ratio measurements, and low false alarm rates. Simulated data from a 2” × 4” × 16” NaI(Tl) detector are used in this work for demonstrating these concepts, and the minimum detectable activity (MDA) is used as a performance metric in assessing model performance.In addition to examining simultaneous detection and identification, binary spectral anomaly detection using autoencoders is introduced in this work, and benchmarked using detection methods based on Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). On average, the autoencoder provides a 12% and 23% improvement over NMF- and PCA-based detection methods, respectively. Additionally, source identification using ANNs is extended to leverage temporal dynamics by means of recurrent neural networks, and these time-dependent models outperform their time-independent counterparts by 17% for the analysis examined here. The paper concludes with a discussion on tradeoffs between the ANN-based approaches and the benchmark methods examined here.

Bilton, Kyle J. (ORCID:0000000184553689)↗
DOE OSTI2023

SNM Radiation Signature Classification Using Different Semi-Supervised Machine Learning Models

The timely detection of special nuclear material (SNM) transfers between nuclear facilities is an important monitoring objective in nuclear nonproliferation. Persistent monitoring enabled by successful detection and characterization of radiological material movements could greatly enhance the nuclear nonproliferation mission in a range of applications. Supervised machine learning can be used to signal detections when material is present if a model is trained on sufficient volumes of labeled measurements. However, the nuclear monitoring data needed to train robust machine learning models can be costly to label since radiation spectra may require strict scrutiny for characterization. Therefore, this work investigates the application of semi-supervised learning to utilize both labeled and unlabeled data. As a demonstration experiment, radiation measurements from sodium iodide (NaI) detectors are provided by the Multi-Informatics for Nuclear Operating Scenarios (MINOS) venture at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as sample data. Anomalous measurements are identified using a method of statistical hypothesis testing. After background estimation, an energy-dependent spectroscopic analysis is used to characterize an anomaly based on its radiation signatures. In the absence of ground-truth information, a labeling heuristic provides data necessary for training and testing machine learning models. Supervised logistic regression serves as a baseline to compare three semi-supervised machine learning models: co-training, label propagation, and a convolutional neural network (CNN). In each case, the semi-supervised models outperform logistic regression, suggesting that unlabeled data can be valuable when training and demonstrating value in semi-supervised nonproliferation implementations.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2023

Code for BALDR Study 07.05 v.1.0.0

SAND2024-01293O The Code for BALDR Study 07.05 software reproduces results from the BALDR study concerning "A Semi-Supervised Learning Method to Produce Explainable Radioisotope Proportion Estimates for NaI-based Synthetic and Measured Gamma Spectra." The code for BALDR Study 07.05 can reproduce a scientific study following the step numbers within the file names. Using synthetic and measured data to find the best model for the radioisotope proportion estimation task of interest, the study generated results for inclusion in a paper. The high-level methods involved are neural networks, semi-supervised learning, and out-of-distribution detection. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Morrow, Tyler↗
NASA NTRS1972

The measurement of radiation exposure of astronauts by radiochemical techniques

The principal gamma-ray emitting radioisotopes, produced in the body of astronauts by cosmic-ray bombardment, which have half-lives long enough to be useful for radiation dose evaluation, are Be-7, Na-22, and Na-24. The sodium isotopes were measured in the preflight and postflight urine and feces, and those feces specimens collected during the manned Apollo missions, by analysis of the urine salts and the raw feces in large crystal multidimensional gamma-ray spectrometers. The Be-7 was chemically separated, and its concentration measured in an all NaI (TL), anticoincidence shielded, scintillation well crystal. The astronaut radiation dose in millirads, as determined for the Apollo 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 missions, was 330, 160, smaller than 315, 870 plus or minus 550, 31, 110, and smaller than 250, respectively.

Brodzinski, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Modification of codes NUALGAM and BREMRAD, Volume 1

The NUGAM2 code predicts forward and backward angular energy differential and integrated distributions for gamma photons and fluorescent radiation emerging from finite laminar transport media. It determines buildup and albedo data for scientific research and engineering purposes; it also predicts the emission characteristics of finite radioisotope sources. The results are shown to be in very good agreement with available published data. The code predicts data for many situations in which no published data is available in the energy range up to 5 MeV. The NUGAM3 code predicts the pulse height response of inorganic (NaI and CsI) scintillation detectors to gamma photons. Because it allows the scintillator to be clad and mounted on a photomultiplier as in the experimental or industrial application, it is a more practical and thus useful code than others previously reported. Results are in excellent agreement with published Monte Carlo and experimental data in the energy range up to 4.5 MeV.

Steyn, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

A versatile Mossbauer spectrometer and its applications in vibration measurement

A Fe-57 Mossbauer spectrometer, equally efficient in transmission and reflection geometries, is described. The radiation detector consists of a 1.524- by 5.08 by 5.08-cm rectangular NaI(Tl) crystal with a hole 1.524 cm in diameter. The front and back faces of the crystal are covered with beryllium windows 0.0127 cm thick and 3.81 cm in diameter. The energy of the radiation accepted for counting ranges from 6.3 keV conversion X-rays to the 14.4 keV reemitted gamma rays. The spectrometer was used to measure various types of low frequency (10 Hz) and low amplitude (0.254 mm) periodic motion of steel specimens.

Singh, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1971

A gamma ray monitor for the OSO-7 spacecraft

A 3 in. x 3 in. NaI(Tl) gamma ray (0.3 to 10 MeV) spectrometer with a CsI(Na) charged particle and anti-Compton shield has been developed for the Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO-7) which was launched September 30, 1971. The instrument, designed for a rotating wheel compartment, utilizes a 377 channel quadratic PHA with accumulation times of 3, 1, or 0.5 minutes. Quick look and calibration data obtained via a direct data link to a minicomputer allows near real time monitoring and control of the experiment. Various commands changing the operating mode can be executed. The functions which can be commanded include: rotation of the quadrants in which data is collected by 90 deg; gain adjustment of the central detector over a 6:1 range; manual or automatic sequencing of calibrations; variations of accumulation times by telemetering selected channels; and selection of reference directions. A small X-ray detector covering the range 7.5 to 120 keV is also included.

Higbie, P. R.↗
NASA NTRS1972

A gamma ray monitor for the OSO-7 spacecraft.

A NaI(T2) gamma ray spectrometer with a CsI(Na) charged particle and anti-Compton shield has been developed for the spacecraft. The spacecraft telemetry system employs a 800 Hz clock and reads data out on a basic 32-word (byte) Main Frame cycle. The data from the instrument include spectral data, X-ray data, and housekeeping data. The gamma ray pulses from the anode of the central detector flow through the front end electronics, where they are amplified by a charge sensitive preamplifier. The admission of the desired gamma ray into the data stream is controlled by a linear gate.

Higbie, P. R.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The cosmic gamma-ray spectrum between 0.3 and 27 MeV measured on the Apollo 15

The spectrum of the total (diffuse and discrete sources) cosmic gamma-ray background over the 0.3 to 27 MeV range was measured with a 7.0 cm diameter x 7.0 cm long uncollimated NaI(Tl) scintillation counter located on a boom 7.6 m from the Apollo 15 service module. Data on cosmic gamma-rays were taken during transearth coast at various boom extensions, detector gains, and with the plastic anticoincidence scintillator enabled and disabled.

Trombka, J. I.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Spectrum of atmospheric gamma rays to 10 MeV at lambda = 40 deg

Results of measurements of the differential counting rate spectra due to atmospheric gamma rays as a function of altitude to 3.6 g/sq cm over Texas. Two gain settings and a 128-channel pulse height analyzer were used to cover the range from 0.2 to 10 MeV. The detector was a 7.6 x 7.6 cm NaI crystal, which was surrounded on five sides by a 2-cm-thick plastic anticoincidence shield for charged particle rejection. The system had a nearly isotropic response to photons above 0.2 MeV. The spectrum at ceiling appeared as a steep continuum with a power-law index of about 1.4. The only obvious feature was the 0.51-MeV positron annihilation line. The spectral shape was independent for depths less than 20 g/sq cm, the absolute intensity varying in proportion to the intensity of the cosmic ray secondary charged particles. Also, at depths less than 30 g/sq cm the observed flux variation with altitude can be described in terms of an empirical depth-dependent source function.

Peterson, L. E.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Search for gamma ray lines from supernovae and supernova remnants

A gamma ray monitor with a NaI crystal shielded with a cup-shaped CsI cover was contained in the rotating wheel compartment of the OSO-7 spacecraft for measuring the gamma ray spectra from 0.3 to 10 MeV in search for gamma ray lines from a possible remnant in the Gum Nebula and the apparent Type I supernovae in NGC5253. A brief analysis of data yielded no positive indications for X-rays, gamma ray lines, or continuum from these sources.

Chupp, E. L.↗