RADIATION MONITORING DEVICES, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: DTRA152-007

Description

The project will develop a handheld instrument that detects, identifies, and categorizes radioactive sources based on gamma, thermal-, and fast-neutron signatures. Existing radioisotope identification devices (RIIDs) are typically biased toward gamma spectroscopy, and often use a simple, inefficient neutron counter. The recent development of Cs2LiYCl6:Ce (CLYC) has enabled neutron and gamma spectroscopy using a single detector, reducing the cost and footprint of the device.The proposed Trimode RIID uses a large CLYC crystal for gamma and fast-neutron spectroscopy, and thermal-neutron detection.The system will include state-of-the-art electronics for pulse-shape discrimination, sophisticated radionuclide-identification and neutron-spectroscopy analysis, and an intuitive user interface that includes wireless data transfer.All of this is packaged in a lightweight, ruggedized enclosure, and the system will meet relevant ANSI standards.In Phase I, trade studies will be performed to determine the optimal crystal size and configuration of the system.Conceptual design will be developed, enabling detailed design and engineering work to begin immediately in Phase II.During Phase II, an advanced prototype will be demonstrated, which will lead to a commercial product.This will be the only RIID capable of tri-mode detection, and will improve the state-of-the-art in detection performance, user experience, footprint, and cost.