MAUD Project - development of a new portable detector for alpha and beta surface contamination mapping

S. Leblond (1) , P. Fichet (1) , R. Laumonier (2) , S. Billon (3) , P. Sardini (3)

1 CEA-DES (ex-DEN) - CEA-Direction des Energies (ex-Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire)
2 ateliers laumonier
3 IC2MP - Institut de Chimie des Milieux et Matériaux de Poitiers

The characterization and the localization of surface contamination is of first importance dur-ing the decommissioning process of a nuclear facility. Yet, there is currently no device ca-pable of giving a real-time image of the surface contamination by $\alpha$ or $\beta$ emitters. The MAUD project (supported by the French National Radioactive Waste Management Agency Andra) is aiming at developing a new type of portable detector capable of reconstructing the radioactivity image on a solid surface in real-time, and to provide an accurate mapping of contamination at the scale of a facility. In this paper, the technological developments performed to realize the prototype of the project are presented. The optimization of the detection system is discussed as well as the choice of the read-out electronics. Then, the preliminary characterization of the detector response to ionizing radiations, using alpha and beta emitters, is presented.

Keywords: Autoradiography; surface contamination; alpha and beta radiations; alpha and beta radiation detection

Domains: Nuclear Experiment [nucl-ex]; Nuclear Theory [nucl-th]

S. Leblond, P. Fichet, R. Laumonier, S. Billon, P. Sardini. MAUD Project - development of a new portable detector for alpha and beta surface contamination mapping. DEM 2018 - Dismantling Challenges: Industrial Reality, Prospects and Feedback Experience, Oct 2018, Avignon, France. ⟨cea-02338565⟩