The EURopean Illicit TRAfficking Countermeasures Kit project is part of the 6th EU Framework program and aims at developing a neutron inspection system for detecting threat materials in cargo containers. Neutron interactions in the container produce specific gamma rays used to determine the chemical composition of the inspected material. The use of D-T tagged neutrons allows the inspection of a suspect voxel identified by previous X-ray scan. The Tagged Neutron Inspection System (TNIS) consists of a transportable neutron generator including a position-sensitive alpha detector, large volume neutron and gamma-ray detectors, front-end electronics to process alpha-gamma coincidence time and gamma-ray energy, and a data read-out and analysis software. The system has been integrated at the Neutron Laboratory of the Institute Ruder Boskovic (Zagreb, Croatia). Detection tests have been carried out with various targets hidden in a section of container filled with various materials simulating the transported goods. Results demonstrate the capability of the TNIS to inspect well-defined voxels and identify the hidden materials. For instance, a target simulating 100-kg of explosives was detected in a 10-minutes measurement inside a container completely filled with metallic boxes of 0.2-g/cm3 average density. The TNIS is presented and the main results obtained at the Zagreb test site are reported
The Euritrack project: experimental test of a tagged neutron imspection system of cargo container
GIROLETTI, ELIO;FONTANA, ANDREA
2006-01-01
Abstract
The EURopean Illicit TRAfficking Countermeasures Kit project is part of the 6th EU Framework program and aims at developing a neutron inspection system for detecting threat materials in cargo containers. Neutron interactions in the container produce specific gamma rays used to determine the chemical composition of the inspected material. The use of D-T tagged neutrons allows the inspection of a suspect voxel identified by previous X-ray scan. The Tagged Neutron Inspection System (TNIS) consists of a transportable neutron generator including a position-sensitive alpha detector, large volume neutron and gamma-ray detectors, front-end electronics to process alpha-gamma coincidence time and gamma-ray energy, and a data read-out and analysis software. The system has been integrated at the Neutron Laboratory of the Institute Ruder Boskovic (Zagreb, Croatia). Detection tests have been carried out with various targets hidden in a section of container filled with various materials simulating the transported goods. Results demonstrate the capability of the TNIS to inspect well-defined voxels and identify the hidden materials. For instance, a target simulating 100-kg of explosives was detected in a 10-minutes measurement inside a container completely filled with metallic boxes of 0.2-g/cm3 average density. The TNIS is presented and the main results obtained at the Zagreb test site are reportedI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
