Qualification Test System for Radiation Detection Devices QuTeSt

Abstract

Measurement equipment for the detection and identification of radioactive and nuclear (RN) material has a wide application area. The main application aspects are monitoring, search, and identification. A common goal is to gain reliable measurement results. In the past, the only way to assess the performance of a measuring device was to rely on the data given by the manufacturer of the device itself. Reliable test results from an independent third party are more than welcome. These tests can be performed against consensus standards in order to have reproducible test results, independent of the testing location and the performing laboratory. Fraunhofer INT has conceived and built a test environment to perform dynamic and static test measurements using neutron and gamma sources. Tests can be performed in accordance with the IEC and ANSI standards as well as the ITRAP+10 test procedures. This includes qualification tests of truck portal monitors with the dynamic test system. Generally, the effects of one test parameter on other test parameters are not considered in the test procedures. For example, the accuracy of the dose rate may depend on the energy range of the radioactive source used. Besides the overview of the test systems the paper will address restrictions, problems and limitations of the possible qualification measurements as well as potential limitations arising from the given test procedures themselves.

Comparison of CLYC vs. CsI in a hand-held detector

“…In the RIID ANSI and IEC case velocities were determined according to the compensation of distance changes to achieve the dose rate of 0.5 µSv/h at the detector position like given in (1). The results are qualitatively similar to the ITRAP+10 results.…”

“…Mainly dynamic tests were performed in the framework of the current paper which were done using the dynamic test system part of the QuTeSt system [1].…”

“…If the source used does not fulfill the foreseen criterion, the conditions can be changed. The change in the distance has to be compensated in the dynamic tests by changing the velocity v0 stated in the standard (see Table I) to v using (1).…”