Nuclear mattersNew nuclear detection method does not use helium
Current nuclear detection technology uses helium 3, which was a by-product of the U.S. earlier nuclear weapons programs and which is in increasingly short supply; Dynasil’s new “dual mode” detectors are designed to work without helium 3 and can replace two separate nuclear detector systems for gamma radiation and for the neutrons from nuclear materials
Dynasil Corporation of America said that the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) of DHS awarded Dynasil’s subsidiary, Radiation Monitoring Devices, $2.0 million to develop its new high performance nuclear threat detector materials. The company’s scintillator materials represent an advance in radiation detection performance applicable to military, industrial, and medical applications.
Dynasil’s crystal scintillator, optically coupled with a photodetector, converts radiation to visible light to detect radiation and dangerous nuclear material, such as would be used in a dirty bomb or a nuclear device. It is sensitive and can differentiate between a broad range of threatening and non-threatening materials, thus reducing false negatives.
Kansas City Star reports that Dynasil’s a major part of the effort to prevent terrorists from smuggling nuclear materials into the United States outfitting border crossings and shipping ports in the United States and overseas with improved detection equipment that can detect the telltale radiation that nuclear materials give off. In addition, current nuclear detection technology uses helium 3, which was a by-product of the U.S. earlier nuclear weapons programs and which is in increasingly short supply (see “The world is running out of helium,” 6 October 2010 HSNW). Dynasil’s new “dual mode” detectors are designed to work without helium 3 and can replace two separate nuclear detector systems for gamma radiation and for the neutrons from nuclear materials. Included in the $2 million of funding is a $1.3 million contract that calls for using Dynasil’s efforts to deliver these dual mode detector materials, optimized for quick identification of multiple radiation sources simultaneously, including highly enriched uranium, plutonium and other radioactive materials. Funding was also provided for R&D on five new materials for nuclear threat detection including four Phase I SBIR grants which may develop into much more significant contracts if they progress to Phase II.
