Moving sources detection system

Romain Coulon (1) , Vladimir Kondrasovs (1) , Karim Boudergui (1) , Stéphane Normand (1)

1 LCAE (CEA, LIST) - Laboratoire Capteurs et Architectures Electroniques (CEA, LIST)

To monitor radioactivity passing through a pipe or in a given container such as a train or a truck, radiation detection systems are commonly employed. These detectors could be used in a network set along the source track to increase the overall detection efficiency. However detection methods are based on counting statistics analysis. The method usually implemented consists in trigging an alarm when an individual signal rises over a threshold initially estimated in regards to the natural background signal. The detection efficiency is then proportional to the number of detectors in use, due to the fact that each sensor is taken as a standalone sensor. A new approach is presented in this paper taking into account the temporal periodicity of the signals taken by all distributed sensors as a whole. This detection method is not based only on counting statistics but also on the temporal series analysis aspect. Therefore, a specific algorithm is then developed in our lab for this kind of applications and shows a significant improvement, especially in terms of detection efficiency and false alarms reduction. We also plan on extracting information from the source vector. This paper presents the theoretical approach and some preliminary results obtain in our laboratory.

Mots clés: standalone sensor; temporal periodicity; detection method; ionizing radiation; instrumentation; nuclear instrumentation; electronic architecture; temporal series analysis; source vector; radioactivity measurement; nuclear materials safeguards; Correlation; Estimation; Signal processing; Statistical analysis; Detectors; Algorithm design and analysis; Algorithm; Detection; Filter - Instrument; Measurement; Monitor; Moving; Nuclear; Radiation; Radioactive - Safeguard; Source - Time series analysis; radioactivity; radiation detection system; counting statistics analysis; natural background signal

Domaines: Physique Nucléaire Expérimentale [nucl-ex]; Instrumentations et Détecteurs [physics.ins-det]; Traitement du signal et de l'image [eess.SP]

Romain Coulon, Vladimir Kondrasovs, Karim Boudergui, Stéphane Normand. Moving sources detection system. 2013 3rd International Conference on Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation, Measurement Methods and their Applications (ANIMMA), Jun 2013, Marseille, France. ⟨10.1109/ANIMMA.2013.6727872⟩. ⟨cea-01822345⟩