AQUILA, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: A20-135

Description

The Geiger-Müller tube (or G-M tube) tube is in common use as a dose rate sensor. However, it is expensive for large-scale deployment, requires a high voltage and counting circuitry to operate, and requires several tubes in the device, if a large dose rate range is to be covered. Many alternative detector technologies exist. Many of them can be mass produced at reasonable price, but they are either limited in the dose range that they can cover, or are susceptible to damage at high dose rates. The DOD would like to have low-cost gamma dose rate sensors that are suitable for military operations that require a large dose rate range and are survivable on the nuclear battlefield. AQUILA proposes using COTS technology to replace GM tube technology. We propose integrating the sensors from a commercially available detector technology from the supplier Kromek combined with AQUILA’s nuclear survivability protection circuit. The newly integrated device will function as a GM tube replacement without the need of a high voltage power supply. The ultimate object will be to provide a “click” mode for GM tube replacement in older designs and a data mode for new instrument designs. The COTS Kromek device will be used as a convenient test platform to prove the integration.