Nuclide identification method, nuclide identification system, and photoneutron emitter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9714906-B2
Application number	US-201414577701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2014
Priority date	Dec 27, 2013
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a nuclide identification method, a nuclide identification system, and a photoneutron emitter. The photoneutron emitter comprises: a pulsed electron accelerator configured for emitting electrons; and a photoneutron converting target configured to receive the electrons emitted by the pulsed electron accelerator and convert the electrons into photoneutrons. The photoneutron converting target has a volume of about 100 to about 8000 cm 3 , of about 100 to about 2500 cm 3 , or of about 785 cm 3 . These embodiments of the present invention can improve an accuracy of identification of a nuclide, and provide a practical photoneutron emitter, method and system for identifying a nuclide. Especially, these embodiments of the present invention can improve an accuracy of identification of a fissile nuclide such as 233 U, 235 U, and 239 Pu, and provide a practical photoneutron emitter, method and system for identifying a fissile nuclide such as 233 U, 235 U, and 239 Pu.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A nuclide identification method, comprising:
placing an object to be inspected between a photoneutron emitter and a photoneutron detector;
emitting, by the photoneutron emitter, photoneutrons having a predetermined range of energy at a predetermined time;
detecting, by the photoneutron detector, a plurality of quantities of the photoneutrons, which respectively fly to the photoneutron detector for different times of flight, so as to acquire a sample spectrum in which the plurality of quantities of the photoneutrons are ordered according to the different times of flight; and
determining a nuclide contained in the object based on a resonant scattering energy of the nuclide by analyzing, in the sample spectrum, where a quantity of the photoneutrons within a particular range of time of flight is lower than an expected value as a result of the resonant scattering between the quantity of photoneutrons within the particular range of time of flight and the nuclide.

2. The nuclide identification method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting the plurality of quantities of the photoneutrons which respectively fly to the photoneutron detector for different times of flight when no object is placed between the photoneutron emitter and detector, so as to acquire a standard spectrum in which the plurality of quantities of the photoneutrons are ordered according to the different times of flight; and
determining, by comparison of the sample spectrum with the standard spectrum, whether or not, in the sample spectrum, the quantity of the photoneutrons within the particular range of time of flight is lower than the expected value.

3. The nuclide identification method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a weight of the nuclide contained in the object, based on a ratio of the quantity of the photoneutrons within the particular range of time of flight to a quantity of the photoneutrons emitted by the photoneutron emitter and corresponding to the same particular range of time of flight.

4. The nuclide identification method of claim 1 , wherein:
the photoneutron emitter emits the photoneutrons having the predetermined range of energy at a same time.

5. The nuclide identification method of claim 4 , wherein:
the predetermined range of energy is 0.1 to 1000 eV.

6. The nuclide identification method of claim 1 , wherein:
the object to be inspected contains a fissile nuclide.

7. The nuclide identification method of claim 1 , wherein:
the photoneutron emitter comprises:
a pulsed electron accelerator configured for emitting electrons; and
a photoneutron converting target configured to receive the electrons emitted by the pulsed electron accelerator and convert the electrons into photoneutrons.

8. A nuclide identification system, comprising:
a photoneutron emitter configured for emitting photoneutrons having a predetermined range of energy at a predetermined time;
a photoneutron detector configured for receiving the photoneutrons emitted by the photoneutron emitter to acquire a plurality of quantities of the photoneutrons received at respective times;
a photoneutron time-of-flight timer configured for recording times of flight of the photoneutrons emitted by the photoneutron emitter, from a time of being emitted to the respective times of being received by the photoneutron detector;
a data processing unit configured for forming a photoneutron quantity spectrum in which the plurality of quantities of the photoneutrons are ordered according to the times of flight; and
a comparison and determination unit configured for determining a nuclide contained in an object to be inspected based on a resonant scattering energy of the nuclide, wherein the comparison and determination unit compares a quantity of the photoneutrons within a particular range of time of flight in the photoneutron quantity spectrum with a predetermined value and determines whether the quantity of the photoneutrons within the particular range of time of flight is lower than the predetermined value as a result of the resonant scattering between the quantity of photoneutrons within the particular range of time of flight and the nuclide.

9. The nuclide identification system of claim 8 , wherein:
the comparison and determination unit determines whether or not the quantity of the photoneutrons within the particular range of time of flight in the photoneutron quantity spectrum acquired when the object is placed is lower than the predetermined value, by comparing the photoneutron quantity spectrum acquired when the object is placed with a photoneutron quantity spectrum acquired when no object is placed.

10. The nuclide identification system of claim 8 , wherein:
the photoneutron emitter comprises:
a pulsed electron accelerator configured for emitting electrons; and
a photoneutron converting target configured to receive the electrons emitted by the pulsed electron accelerator and convert the electrons into photoneutrons.

11. The nuclide identification system of claim 10 , wherein:
the photoneutron converting target has a volume of about 100 to about 8000 cm 3 , of about 100 to about 2500 cm 3 , or of about 785 cm 3 .

12. The nuclide identification system of claim 11 , wherein:
the photoneutron converting target is a cylinder having a diameter and an axial length of 5 to 20 cm, of 5 to 15 cm, of 8 to 12 cm, of 9 to 11 cm, of 9.5 to 10.5 cm, or of about 10 cm.

13. The nuclide identification system of claim 11 , wherein:
the photoneutron converting target is a cylinder, the cylinder having a diameter and an axial length that are substantially equal to each other.

14. The nuclide identification system of claim 11 , wherein:
the photoneutron converting target is a cube, and an edge of the cube has a length of 5 to 20 cm, of 5 to 15 cm, of 8 to 12 cm, of 9 to 11 cm, of 9.5 to 10.5 cm, or of about 10 cm.

15. The nuclide identification system of claim 10 , wherein:
the photoneutron converting target is a cylinder having a diameter and an axial length of 5 to 20 cm, of 5 to 15 cm, of 8 to 12 cm, of 9 to 11 cm, of 9.5 to 10.5 cm, or of about 10 cm.

16. The nuclide identification system of claim 10 , wherein:
the photoneutron converting target is a cylinder, the cylinder having a diameter and an axial length that are substantially equal to each other.

17. The nuclide identification system of claim 10 , wherein:
the photoneutron converting target is a cube, and an edge of the cube has a length of 5 to 20 cm, of 5 to 15 cm, of 8 to 12 cm, of 9 to 11 cm, of 9.5 to 10.5 cm, or of about 10 cm.

18. The nuclide identification system of claim 10 , wherein:
the photoneutron converting target is formed of heavy water or beryllium.

Assignees

• Univ Tsinghua
• Nuctech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Zhiqiang
• Yang Yigang
• Wang Xuewu
• Zhang Qinjian
• Chen Huaibi
• Li Yuanjing

Classifications

• G21G4/02

  Neutron sources · CPC title

• G01N23/005 Primary

  by using neutrons (G01N23/02 - G01N23/227 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01V5/0091

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01V5/281

  detecting special nuclear material [SNM], e.g. Uranium-235, Uranium-233 or Plutonium-239 · CPC title