Tri-material dual-species neutron/gamma spectrometer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9507035-B2
Application number	US-201414209054-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2014
Priority date	Nov 3, 2010
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

A system of the present invention is capable of detecting, imaging and measuring both neutrons and gamma rays. In some cases, the system has a plurality of parallel plates each containing a plurality of detectors. The plates comprise non-PSD organic scintillation detectors, scintillation detectors having pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) properties, and inorganic scintillation detectors. In some other cases, the system has a plurality of scintillation rods radially distributed about a central axis, and the scintillation rods comprise non-PSD organic scintillation detectors, scintillation detectors having pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) properties, and inorganic scintillation detectors. A first plate or rod and a second plate or rod are used in connection to detect, image and measure neutrons and/or gamma rays.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for imaging and measuring neutrons and gamma rays, the system comprising:
a first plurality of solid scintillation detectors distributed over a first plate and configured to detect at least one of a neutron and a gamma ray;
a second plurality of solid scintillation detectors distributed over a second plate and configured to detect the at least one of a neutron and a gamma ray;
a third plurality of solid scintillation detectors distributed over the second plate and configured to detect the at least one of a neutron and a gamma ray; and
an electronic and processing unit electronically connected to the first plurality of solid scintillation detectors, the second plurality of solid scintillation detectors, and the third plurality of solid scintillation detectors and configured to determine a path of the at least one of a neutron and a gamma ray based on an interaction of the at least one of a neutron and a gamma ray with:
one of the first plurality of solid scintillation detectors; and
one of either the second plurality of solid scintillation detectors or the third plurality of solid scintillation detectors;

wherein the first plurality of solid scintillation detectors, the second plurality of solid scintillation detectors, and the third plurality of solid scintillation detectors differ from one another in material composition.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises a plastic that does not have a pulse-shape-discrimination (PSD) property;
the second plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises at least one of stilbene and p-Terphenyl and has a PSD property; and
the third plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises at least one of sodium iodide, bismuth germanate, cerium-doped lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, gadolinium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, and lanthanum bromide.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises at least one of stilbene and p-Terphenyl and has a pulse-shape-discrimination (PSD) property;
the second plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises a plastic that does not have a PSD property; and
the third plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises at least one of sodium iodide, bismuth germanate, cerium-doped lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, gadolinium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, and lanthanum bromide.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the system is portable; and
the first plurality of solid scintillation detectors, the second plurality of solid scintillation detectors, and the third plurality of solid scintillation detectors each comprise 1 inch cylindrical scintillation detector cells.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises:
at least one solid scintillation detector comprising a plastic that does not have a pulse-shape-discrimination (PSD) property;
at least one solid scintillation detector comprising at least one of stilbene and p-Terphenyl and having a PSD property; and
at least one solid scintillation detector comprising at least one of sodium iodide, bismuth germanate, cerium-doped lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, gadolinium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, and lanthanum bromide; and

the second plurality of solid scintillation detectors and the third plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprise:
at least one solid scintillation detector comprising a plastic that does not have a PSD property;
at least one solid scintillation detector comprising at least one of stilbene and p-Terphenyl and having a PSD property; and
at least one solid scintillation detector comprising at least one of sodium iodide, bismuth germanate, cerium-doped lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, gadolinium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, and lanthanum bromide.

6. A method of imaging and measuring neutrons and gamma rays, the method comprising:
detecting interaction of a particle with a first solid scintillation detector of a first plurality of solid scintillation detectors distributed over a first plate;
detecting interaction of the particle with a second solid scintillation detector of either a second plurality of solid scintillation detectors or a third plurality of solid scintillation detectors distributed over the second plate, wherein the first plurality of solid scintillation detectors, the second plurality of solid scintillation detectors, and the third plurality of solid scintillation detectors differ from one another in material composition;
determining at least one of:
a time of flight of the particle from the first solid scintillation detector to the second solid scintillation detector; and
a pulse shape associated with the particle; and

determining whether the particle is either a neutron or a gamma ray by analyzing at least one of:
the time of flight of the particle; and
the pulse shape associated with the particle.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the first plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises a plastic that does not have a pulse-shape-discrimination (PSD) property;
the second plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises at least one of stilbene and p-Terphenyl and has a PSD property; and
the third plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises at least one of sodium iodide, bismuth germanate, cerium-doped lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, gadolinium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, and lanthanum bromide.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the first plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises at least one of stilbene and p-Terphenyl and has a pulse-shape-discrimination (PSD) property;
the second plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises a plastic that does not have a PSD property; and
the third plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises at least one of sodium iodide, bismuth germanate, cerium-doped lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, gadolinium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, and lanthanum bromide.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising utilizing the pulse shape associated with the particle to maximize signal-to-noise ratio in determining whether the particle is a neutron or a gamma ray.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the system is portable; and
the first plurality of solid scintillation detectors, the second plurality of solid scintillation detectors, and the third plurality of solid scintillation detectors each comprise 1 inch cylindrical scintillation detector cells.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the first plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprises:
at least one solid scintillation detector comprising a plastic that does not have a pulse-shape-discrimination (PSD) property;
at least one solid scintillation detector comprising at least one of stilbene and p-Terphenyl and having a PSD property; and
at least one solid scintillation detector comprising at least one of sodium iodide, bismuth germanate, cerium-doped lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, gadolinium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate, cerium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, and lanthanum bromide; and

the second plurality of solid scintillation detectors and the third plurality of solid scintillation detectors comprise:
at least one solid scintillation detector comprising a plastic that does not have a PSD property;
at least one solid scintillation detector comprising at least one of stilbene and p-Terphenyl and having a PSD property; and
at least

Assignees

• Univ New Hampshire

Inventors

• Ryan James M
• Legere Jason Scott
• Bloser Peter F

Classifications

• G01T1/2008

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

• G01T1/20

  with scintillation detectors · CPC title

• G01T3/06 Primary

  with scintillation detectors · CPC title

• G01T1/2921

  Static instruments for imaging the distribution of radioactivity in one or two dimensions; Radio-isotope cameras (using scintigraphy G01T1/1641) · CPC title

• G01T7/00

  Details of radiation-measuring instruments · CPC title