Abstract
The Idaho Explosives Detection System (IEDS) was developed at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to respond to threats imposed by delivery trucks carrying bulk explosives into military bases. The system consists of two platforms, one on each side of a subject vehicle. Each platform includes a neutron generator and an array of sodium iodide (NaI) detectors. The two neutron generators are pulsed and synchronized. A computer connects to the system via Ethernet and is able to control the system remotely. The system was developed to detect bulk explosives in a medium size truck within a 5-min measurement time. In 2004, a full-scale prototype IEDS was built for testing and continued development. System performance was successfully tested at the INL from November 2005 to February 2006 using different types of real explosives with a variety of cargo. Recently, the first deployable prototype system was installed at Wright–Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and has been in operation since May 2007. The capability of passively detecting radiological material within a delivery truck has also been added.
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Acknowledgments
We wish to acknowledge the many other people at the Idaho National Laboratory that have contributed to the IEDS project. While this article represents the physics and programming part of the development and construction of the IEDS, there was also a significant effort in the mechanical and electrical design and construction of the IEDS. We would like to acknowledge all those engineers, designers, technicians and other support personnel who were involved in the design, construction, and installation of the new system.
We wish to acknowledge Wright–Patterson Air Force Base for their help in the installation and for their willingness to accept and operate our system. We wish to acknowledge the Applied Physics Institute at Western Kentucky University for their part in the development of this system. This work was funded by the DoD Physical Security Equipment Action Group and managed by the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base. This work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy under BEA contract DE-AC07-05ID14517. This work was also funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security.
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This article is to be published in 2007 in Sensing and Imaging: An International Journal.
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Reber, E.L., Blackwood, L.G., Edwards, A.J. et al. Idaho Explosives Detection System: Development and Enhancements. Sens Imaging 8, 121–130 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11220-007-0038-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11220-007-0038-7