Gamma spectrometric monitoring of environmental radioactivity using a mobile equipment

Abstract

Using gamma-spectrometry systems on mobile units with accurate position information is a convenient means for surveying large areas for radioactive fallout or finding hot spots due to misplaced sources or releases from nuclear installations. Traditionally, large (tens of litres) high efficiency NaI(T1) detectors have been used for the purpose. HPGe detectors, however, offer certain advantages which can often compensate for their lower efficiency. This kind of remote sensing, regardless of detector type, requires specialized software. In order to provide accurate position information, the integration times must be kept as short as possible. This is especially true for fast air-borne measurements where counting periods below one second are desirable. We have constructed a special version of SAMPO software which controls data acquisition and runs real-time gamma-spectrum analysis including peak determination, nuclide identification, activity calculations, and reporting. The measurement/analysis cycle can be reduced down to 0.5 seconds on a standard Pentium-based PC. The analysis results are combined with accurate co-ordinates from a differential GPS system on a color coded map. The system is also able to give alarms based on different criteria. We have already measured and analyzed more than 500 000 spectra in field applications using jets, helicopters, cars, and also on-foot.