Shielding of skyshine interference with radiation detection systems

Abstract

1 --Skyshine, the radiation scattered from the air above a source, such as radiography or x-ray imaging systems, can be a problematic source of background gamma rays that interfere with radiation detection systems even at very large distances. The effects of skyshine have been studied for many years, but almost entirely within the context of nuclear power and radioactive waste storage. These earlier studies show that modeling of skyshine is made difficult because it must take into account huge volumes of space in the models that slow analysis significantly. This paper reports on results from various modeling and measurement efforts that examine shielding approaches to the skyshine interference problem with radiation detection systems.

A design study of VOR: A versatile optimal resolution chopper spectrometer for the ESS

“…Current state-of-the-art PSD arrays in neutron scattering employ 3 He tubes as the detector technology of choice. However 3 He is no longer available for large detector areas [14][15][16][17]. The detector array envisaged on VOR will employ the multi-grid detector design [18,19] which incorporates thin conversion layers of 1 µm thick B 4 C Carbide [20] coupled to segmented square tubes incorporating an anode wire and counting gas for signal detection.…”