Merrill Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: DTRA152-007

Description

Radioisotopes can be identified by the emission of neutrons & gammas having characteristic energies.Most hand-held radioisotope identification instruments, however, are gamma-ray centered designs that optionally include neutron detectors of limited sensitivity. Passive measurements of gamma-ray signatures can easily be compromised by shielding a source. Photogenics has developed a neutron spectrometer capable of measuring neutron energies from thermal to 13 MeV, with sufficient resolution to identify the characteristic spectra of neutron emitting isotopes.Recent independent DTRA tests of the neutron spectrometer demonstrated that spectral signatures from this instrument can either substantiate a finding or, more importantly, elucidate an anomaly caused by purposeful shielding. Gamma spectrometers meeting this solicitations requirements are available from several large nuclear instrument companies. Photogenics will subcontract with Canberra Industries to integrate its commercially available gamma spectrometer with Photogenics neutron spectrometer. This Phase I project will perform modelling, analyses, and component studies to create an instrument concept design that meets or exceeds DTRA requirements. Additionally, isotope identification algorithms that combine both gamma and neutron spectral results for improved search and identification of SNM will be developed.Proof of concept testing of the dual neutron/gamma spectrometer will be conducted at a national laboratory.