Radiation monitor and method for measuring radiation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11493648-B2
Application number	US-201917276957-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2019
Priority date	Oct 12, 2018
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

A radiation monitor includes a radiation detection unit detecting radiation, and an optical fiber transmitting photons emitted from a light emitting element of the radiation detection unit, wherein the radiation detection unit includes a first light emitting element generating a photon in response to incident radiation, a chemical compound part having chemical compounds which generate charged particles by nuclear reactions with incident neutrons, and a second light emitting element being located between the first light emitting element and the chemical compound part and generating a photon in response to radiation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radiation monitor comprising
a radiation detection unit configured to detect radiation;
a photon transmission unit configured to transmit a photon emitted from a light emitting element of the radiation detection unit;
a wavelength differentiating unit configured to differentiate a photon by using a wavelength of the photon from the photon transmission unit;
a light detection unit configured to convert the photon differentiated by the wavelength differentiating unit to an electric pulse;
a measurement device configured to measure radiation based on a count rate of the electric pulse;
a light branching unit located between the photon transmission unit and the wavelength differentiating unit; and
a light irradiation device located on a branch side branched off by the light branching unit;
wherein the radiation detection unit comprises:
a first light emitting element configured to generate a photon in response to incident radiation;
a compound part including a compound configured to generate a charged particle in a nuclear reaction with an incident neutron; and
a second light emitting element located between the first light emitting element and the compound part and configured to generate a photon in response to radiation,
wherein the wavelength of the photon generated by the first light emitting element and the wavelength of the photon generated by the second light emitting element are different from each other,
wherein the measurement device measures at least one selected from a group consisting of an air dose rate, a charged particle and a neutron, based on changes of photon count rates of different wavelengths over time, and
wherein the light irradiation unit generates light irradiated to the radiation detection unit via the light branching unit through the photon transmission unit.

2. The radiation monitor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first light emitting element, the second light emitting element and the compound part compose a nested structure, and
wherein the first light emitting element, the second light emitting element and the chemical compound part each have a spherical shell shape.

3. The radiation monitor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the compound contains boron or lithium which is optically transparent.

4. The radiation monitor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the radiation monitor further comprises another radiation detection unit which is different from the radiation detection unit, and
wherein the radiation detection unit and the another radiation detection unit are connected with the photon transmission unit.

5. The radiation monitor according to claim 4 ,
wherein respective light emitting wavelengths of all light emitting elements of the radiation detection unit and the another radiation detection unit are different, or, some of the light emitting wavelengths of the light emitting elements are the same and the other light emitting wavelengths of the light emitting elements are different.

6. The radiation monitor according to claim 1 ,
wherein respective thicknesses of the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element are substantially equal to the ranges of charged particles to be measured, and
wherein the ranges of charged particles are ranges in radiation light emitting elements.

7. The radiation monitor according to claim 1 ,
wherein a thickness of the second light emitting element is substantially equal to the range of the charged particle generated in the compound part, and
wherein the range of the charged particle is range in the light emitting element.

8. The radiation monitor according to claim 2 ,
wherein respective thicknesses of the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element with spherical shell shape are substantially equal to the range of the charged particle to be measured, and
wherein the range of the charged particle is range in the light emitting element.

9. The radiation monitor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the compound is a transparent compound of boron or lithium, and
wherein the compound contains any one of boron nitride, borosilicate glass, and lithium fluoride.

10. The radiation monitor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light irradiation device generates light having a wavelength different from wavelengths of the light emitting from the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element.

11. The radiation monitor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light irradiation device generates light irradiated to the measurement target through the radiation detection unit, and
wherein the measurement target is located outside of the radiation detection unit.

12. The radiation monitor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first light emitting element and the second light emitting element employ a radiation detecting element containing a ceramic matrix material of yttrium aluminum garnet with an addition of a rare-earth element such as ytterbium, neodymium, cerium and praseodymium.

13. A method for measuring radiation by using a radiation monitor, the method comprising:
detecting radiation, by a radiation detection unit;
transmitting, by a photon transmission unit, a photon emitted from a light emitting element of the radiation detection unit;
disposing a light irradiation device located on a branch side branched off by the light branching unit;
differentiating, by a wavelength differentiating unit, a wavelength from the photon transmission unit;
disposing a light branching unit between the photon transmission unit and the wavelength differentiating unit;
converting, by a light detection unit, a photon differentiated by the wavelength differentiating unit to an electric pulse;
measuring, by a measurement device, radiation based on a count rate of the electric;
generating, by a first light emitting element, a photon in response to incident radiation;
generating, by a compound part a charged particle in a nuclear reaction with an incident neutron; and
generating, by a second light emitting element located between the first light emitting element and the compound part, a photon in response to radiation,
wherein the wavelength of the photon generated by the first light emitting element and the wavelength of the photon generated by the second light emitting element are different from each other,
wherein the measurement device measures at least one selected from a group consisting of an air dose rate, a charged particle and a neutron, based on changes of photon count rates of different wavelengths over time,
wherein the light irradiation unit generates light irradiated to the radiation detection unit via the light branching unit through the photon transmission unit.

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Tadokoro Takahiro
• Ueno Yuichiro
• Ueno Katsunori
• Okada Kouichi
• Hatakeyama Shuichi
• Nagumo Yasushi
• SHIBUTANI Tooru
• Sasaki Keisuke
• OOZONE Akira

Classifications

• G01T1/023

  Scintillation dose-rate meters · CPC title

• G01T3/06 Primary

  with scintillation detectors · CPC title

• G01T1/2008

  using a combination of different types of scintillation detectors, e.g. phoswich · CPC title

• G01T1/2002 Primary

  Optical details, e.g. reflecting or diffusing layers · CPC title

• G01T1/208

  Circuits specially adapted for scintillation detectors, e.g. for the photo-multiplier section · CPC title