The full text of this item is not available at this time because the student has placed this item under an embargo for a period of time. The Libraries are not authorized to provide a copy of this work during the embargo period, even for Texas A&M users with NetID.
An Analysis of a Spreader Bar Crane Mounted Gamma-Ray Radiation Detection System
dc.contributor.advisor | Marianno, Craig M | |
dc.creator | Grypp, Matthew D | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2013-10-03T14:43:03Z | |
dc.date.available | 2015-05-01T05:57:09Z | |
dc.date.created | 2013-05 | |
dc.date.issued | 2013-04-08 | |
dc.date.submitted | May 2013 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/149377 | |
dc.description.abstract | Over 95% of imports entering the United States from outside North America arrive via cargo containers by sea at 329 ports of entry. The current layered approach for the detection only scans 5% of cargo bound for the United States. This is inadequate to protect our country. This research involved the building of a gamma-ray radiation detection system used for cargo scanning. The system was mounted on a spreader bar crane (SBC) at the Port of Tacoma (PoT) and the applicability and capabilities of the system were analyzed. The detection system provided continuous count rate and spectroscopic data among three detectors while operating in an extreme environment. In a separate set of experiments, 60Co and 137Cs sources were positioned inside a cargo container and data were recorded for several count times. The Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code was used to simulate a radioactive source inside an empty cargo container and the results were compared to experimentally recorded data. The detection system demonstrated the ability to detect 60Co, 137Cs, 192Ir, highly-enriched uranium (HEU), and weapons-grade plutonium (WGPu) with minimum detectable activities (MDA) of 5.9 ± 0.4 microcuries (μCi), 19.3 ± 1.1 μCi, 11.7 ± 0.6 μCi, 3.5 ± 0.3 kilograms (kg), and 30.6 ± 1.3 grams (g), respectively. This system proved strong gamma-ray detection capabilities, but was limited in the detection of fissile materials Additional details of this system are presented and advantages of this approach to cargo scanning over current approaches are discussed. | en |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
dc.language.iso | en | |
dc.subject | spreader bar | en |
dc.subject | crane | en |
dc.subject | radiation | en |
dc.subject | gamma ray | en |
dc.subject | minimum detectable activity | en |
dc.title | An Analysis of a Spreader Bar Crane Mounted Gamma-Ray Radiation Detection System | en |
dc.type | Thesis | en |
thesis.degree.department | Nuclear Engineering | en |
thesis.degree.discipline | Nuclear Engineering | en |
thesis.degree.grantor | Texas A&M University | en |
thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Philosophy | en |
thesis.degree.level | Doctoral | en |
dc.contributor.committeeMember | Ford, John R. | |
dc.contributor.committeeMember | Poston Sr., John W. | |
dc.contributor.committeeMember | Khatri, Sunil P. | |
dc.type.material | text | en |
dc.date.updated | 2013-10-03T14:43:03Z | |
local.embargo.terms | 2015-05-01 |
Files in this item
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
-
Electronic Theses, Dissertations, and Records of Study (2002– )
Texas A&M University Theses, Dissertations, and Records of Study (2002– )