Bismuth-loaded plastic scintillator portal monitors

Nerine J. Cherepy; Saphon Hok; Sean P. O'Neal; H. Paul Martinez; Patrick R. Beck; Robert D. Sanner; Owen B. Drury; Erik L. Swanberg; Stephen A. Payne; Charles R. Hurlbut

doi:10.1117/12.2320884

13 September 2018 Bismuth-loaded plastic scintillator portal monitors

Nerine J. Cherepy, Saphon Hok, Sean P. O'Neal, H. Paul Martinez, Patrick R. Beck, Robert D. Sanner, Owen B. Drury, Erik L. Swanberg, Stephen A. Payne, Charles R. Hurlbut

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 10762, Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Neutron Detector Physics XX; 107620B (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2320884
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2018, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Plastic scintillators incorporating 8 weight percent elemental Bismuth offer enhanced sensitivity and distinct photopeak spectra in the <1000 keV range typically used in radiation portal monitors. The Bismuth-loaded plastic is based on polyvinyl toluene with standard singlet fluors. It produces ~6,000 photons/MeV with a maximum emission at 430 nm and a ~10 ns decay. Energy resolution of 49% at 59.5 keV and 16% at 662 keV are obtained for a 14 in³ Bismuth plastic scintillator plate. Count rates compared to standard plastic scintillator of the same size reveal a sensitivity improvement of >5x in the <200 keV range. Future spectroscopic radiation portal monitors based on the Bismuth plastic scintillator could provide moderate resolution spectroscopy for radioisotope identification. In addition, the Bismuth plastic offers outstanding environmental stability to weathering effects, in contrast with standard plastic scintillator formulations.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Nerine J. Cherepy, Saphon Hok, Sean P. O'Neal, H. Paul Martinez, Patrick R. Beck, Robert D. Sanner, Owen B. Drury, Erik L. Swanberg, Stephen A. Payne, and Charles R. Hurlbut "Bismuth-loaded plastic scintillator portal monitors", Proc. SPIE 10762, Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Neutron Detector Physics XX, 107620B (13 September 2018); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2320884

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