Year
2001
Abstract
In this paper, we discuss a trace explosives detection portal for vehicles that is currently being developed at Sandia National Laboratories with funding and oversight from the Technical Support Working Group and the Department of Energy Office of Safeguards and Security. This portal is based primarily on localized sampling of a vehicle to look for particle contamination on the vehicle’s exterior. The operating principle of the portal is derived from that of a personnel portal developed at Sandia with funding from the Federal Aviation Administration, and includes the use of air jets to dislodge particle contamination, directed air flows to transport particles and vapor, a patented chemical preconcentrator to collect the explosive material, and an ion mobility spectrometer for chemical detection. We report on the design of this system, and on initial experimental results with key explosives. The vehicle portal will be field tested at the end of this fiscal year, with commercialization efforts to follow.