Nuclear radiation cleanup and uranium prospecting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9533334-B2
Application number	US-201514970986-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2015
Priority date	Jan 7, 2014
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and methods for nuclear radiation cleanup and uranium prospecting include the steps of identifying an area; collecting samples; sample preparation; identification, assay, and analysis; and relating the samples to the area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of cleanup of a contaminated area after detonation of a dirty bomb using a global positioning system that provides GPS coordinates wherein there are solid surfaces at locations in the contaminated area, comprising the steps of:
superimpose a grid on the contaminated area;
collecting samples in the contaminated area and store at said samples with said samples given a unique address according to the GPS coordinates relative to said grid;
wherein said step collecting samples includes the steps of providing a laser that produces a laser beam and collecting samples from the solid surfaces in the contaminated area by directing said laser beam onto the solid surfaces at the locations in the contaminated area to produce said samples,
wherein said step of directing said laser beam onto the solid surfaces at the locations in the contaminated area includes directing water onto the solid surfaces and directing said laser beam onto the water and onto the solid surfaces producing particle samples from the solid surfaces;
analyzing said samples and producing results;
using said results to generate a map of the contaminated area using the GPS coordinates of said grid; and
cleaning up the contaminated area using said map of the contaminated area.

2. The method of cleanup of a contaminated area after detonation of a dirty bomb of claim 1 wherein said step of providing a laser that produces a laser beam comprises providing a laser that produces a laser beam that is a pulsed laser beam.

3. A method of cleanup of a contaminated area after detonation of a dirty bomb using a global positioning system that provides GPS coordinates wherein there are solid surfaces at locations in the contaminated area, comprising the steps of:
superimpose a grid on the contaminated area;
collecting samples in the contaminated area and store said samples with said samples given a unique address according to the GPS coordinates relative to said grid;
wherein said step collecting samples includes the steps of providing a laser that produces a laser beam and collecting samples from the solid surfaces in the contaminated area by directing said laser beam onto the solid surfaces at the locations in the contaminated area to produce said samples,
wherein said step of directing said laser beam onto the solid surfaces at the locations in the contaminated area includes directing water onto the solid surfaces and directing said laser beam onto the water and onto the solid surfaces producing particle samples from the solid surfaces,
wherein said step of collecting samples from the solid surfaces includes using a robot for collecting said samples;
analyzing said samples and producing results;
using said results to generate a map of the contaminated area using the GPS coordinates of said grid; and
cleaning up the contaminated area using said map of the contaminated area.

4. A method of cleanup of a contaminated area after detonation of a dirty bomb using a global positioning system that provides GPS coordinates wherein there are solid surfaces at locations in the contaminated area, comprising the steps of:
superimpose a grid on the contaminated area;
collecting samples in the contaminated area and store said samples with said samples given a unique address according to the GPS coordinates relative to said grid;
wherein said step collecting samples includes the steps of providing a laser that produces a laser beam and collecting samples from the solid surfaces in the contaminated area by directing said laser beam onto the solid surfaces at the locations in the contaminated area to produce said samples,
wherein said step of directing said laser beam onto the solid surfaces at the locations in the contaminated area includes directing water onto the solid surfaces and directing said laser beam onto the water and onto the solid surfaces producing particle samples from the solid surfaces,
wherein said step of collecting samples from said solid surfaces includes using a drone for collecting said samples;
analyzing said samples and producing results,
using said results to generate a map of the contaminated area using the GPS coordinates of said grid, and
cleaning up the contaminated area using said map of the contaminated area.

5. The method of cleanup of a contaminated area after detonation of a dirty bomb of claim 4 wherein said laser is carried by said drone.

6. The method of cleanup of a contaminated area after detonation of a dirty bomb of claim 4 further comprising the step of providing a collection device on said drone and wherein said samples are collected in said collection device.

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Mariella Jr Raymond P
• Dardenne Yves M

Classifications

• G21F9/005

  Decontamination of the surface of objects by ablation · CPC title

• G01V5/0091

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01N2001/028

  Sampling from a surface, swabbing, vaporising · CPC title

• G01N2001/021

  Correlating sampling sites with geographical information, e.g. GPS · CPC title

• G01V5/02

  specially adapted for surface logging, e.g. from aircraft · CPC title