Nondestructive and active interrogation system for special nuclear material:proof of principle and initial results

Herein,we employ the threshold energy neutron analysis(TENA)technique to introduce the world's first active interrogation system to detect special nuclear materials(SNMs),including U-235 and Pu-239.The system utilizes a DD neutron generator based on inertial electrostatic confinement(IEC)to interrogate suspicious objects.To detect secondary neutrons produced during fission reactions induced in SNMs,a tensioned metastable fluid detector(TMFD)is employed.The current status of the system's development is reported in this paper,accompanied by the results from experiments conducted to detect 10 g of highly enriched uranium(HEU).Notably,the experimental findings demonstrate a distinct difference in the count rates of measurements with and without HEU.This difference in count rates surpasses two times the standard deviation,indicating a confidence level of more than 96% for identifying the presence of HEU.The paper presents and extensively discusses the proof-of-principle experimental results,along with the system's planned trajectory.

Tensioned Metastable Fluid Detectors in Nuclear Security for Passively Monitoring of Special Nuclear Materials―Part A

This paper (constituting Part A) describes the transformational Tensioned Metastable Fluid Detector (TMFD) based method for “passive” detection of Special Nuclear Materials (SNMs) as related to nuclear security. Purdue University is developing novel, multi-purpose tension metastable fluid nuclear particle detectors by which multiple types of nuclear particles can be detected with high (90%+) intrinsic efficiency, spectroscopic capability, directional information, rapid response, large standoff and significant cost-savings compared with state-of-the-art systems. This paper focuses specifically on recent advances in the use of these novel detector systems for neutron spectroscopy. These techniques will then be discussed and evaluated in the context of area monitoring in waste processing applications with a focus on passive monitoring of radioactive source particles from SNMs. The companion paper (Part B) addresses TMFD technology as it pertains to active interrogation.