Nuclear-Reaction-Based Radiation Source For Explosives-And SNM-Detection In Massive Cargo.

An automatic, nuclear-reaction-based, few-view transmission radiography method and system concept is presented, that will simultaneously detect small, operationally-relevant quantities of chemical explosives and special nuclear materials (SNM) in objects up to the size of LD-3 aviation containers. Detection of all threat materials is performed via the 11B(d,n+γ) reaction on thick, isotopically-enriched targets; SNM are primarily detected via Dual Discrete-Energy Radiography (DDER), using 15.11 MeV and 4.43 MeV 12C γ-rays, whereas explosives are primarily detected via Fast Neutron Resonance Radiography (FNRR), employing the broad-energy neutron spectra produced in a thick 11B-target. To achieve a reasonable throughput of ∼20 containers per hour, ns-pulsed deuteron beam of the order of 0.5 mA intensity at energies of 5-7 MeV is required. As a first step towards optimizing parameters and sensitivities of an operational system, the 0° spectra and yields of both γ-rays and neutrons in this reaction have been measured up to Ed = 6.65 MeV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]