https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202328807010
Neutron-gamma survey system for decommissioning and dismantling activities
1 Department of Physics and Astronomy “Galileo Galilei”, University of Padova, Italy
2 Department of Physics and Earth Science, University of Ferrara, Italy
3 CAEN S.p.A., Viareggio, Italy
4 INFNPadova Section, Padova, Italy
Published online: 21 November 2023
The nuclear plant decommissioning and dismantling (D&D) operations will amount to €200 billion in costs over decades around the world, with three-fourths coming from Europe. Decommissioning includes activities such as planning, physical and radiological characterization, facility and site decontamination, dismantling, and materials management. This work is focused on the development of a compact, light and low-power consumption neutron-gamma survey system which could be easily mounted on an remotely operated vehicle. It is made up of a 4”x4”x2” NaIL (NaI:Tl + 1% 6Li [95% enriched]) neutron/gamma scintillation detector coupled to a SiPM array. Digital pulse processing techniques were implemented to acquire and process the signals, by means of a CAEN DT5780 unit. A comprehensive characterization of this system, based on experiments and Monte Carlo simulations, is reported. The system can be used as a secondary inspection tool, useful for identifying radioactive and special nuclear materials in hotspots.
Key words: NaIL detector / D&D operations / radiation monitoring / neutron/gamma discrimination / hotspots
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2023
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
