Innovative Gamma-Radiation Detector for Radiation Monitors

Year
2011
Author(s)
Alexei Yudov - All-Russian Research Institute of Theoretical Physics
Dimitry V. Bukin - Federal State Unitary Enterprise “ Russian Federal Nuclear Center – Zababakhin All-Russia Research Institute of Technical Physics” ( FSUE “RFNC-VNIITF”)
Yuriy I. Chernukhin - Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Russian Federal Nuclear Center – Zababakhin All-Russia Research Institute of Technical Physics” (FSUE “RFNC-VNIITF”)
Abstract
One of the most efficient technologies that prevent the unauthorized displacement of nuclear materials and radioactive substances are radiation monitors. Currently the monitors detecting gamma-radiation and direct neutron radiation are most widely used. This paper describes a heterogeneous scintillation detector of gamma radiation (HSD). The HSD consists of alternating layers of converting material where gamma quanta flow transforms into a flow of electrons and positrons, and adjacent detecting layers of scintillation material where the energy of charged particles is transformed into light scintillations. The change in spectral sensitivity of the HSD is achieved through selection of the thickness and number of layers along with application of a special signal registration system that can select gamma quanta per the rate of their registration in several detection layers. The proposed spatial-and-functional structure significantly expands the detector capabilities as compared with traditional scintillation detectors by making it possible to build a spatially–oriented detector. The sensitive spectrally detectors of gamma-radiation with a large aperture have a high efficiency of gamma-radiation registration, higher operating speed and low sensitivity to neutrons.