Radioactive Source Localization Using True-Range Multilateration Methods

Abstract

The detection of holdup in a nuclear material processing facility that utilizes glove boxes is both important and challenging. Being able to determine the position of holdup in a glovebox can help streamline the efficiency of the processes. Various localization methods have been developed to determine the location and amount of radioactive material in a wide variety of scenarios including wide scale aerial and laboratory scale localization. This research describes the various methods and approaches used to localize a gamma source and a neutron source using true-range multilateration. The developed algorithm is based on the inverse-square law relationship between the source intensity measured by a detector and the distance the source is from that detector. This algorithm was developed in Python, was tested using MCNP simulations and experimentally verified using a mock glovebox. The results of the MCNP simulations shows that the algorithm’s best method and approach was able to localize a gamma source within 17.5 ± 12.8 cm and a neutron source within an average of 17.6 ± 17.2 cm. Through experiment the algorithm’s best method and approach was able to localize a gamma source within an average of 7.0 ± 5.4 cm and 5.4 ± 2.5 cm for a neutron source. For gamma localization this algorithm was a 119.47% improvement over previously reported techniques. However, compared to previous neutron localization methods, this algorithm performed 149.71% worse than previously reported techniques which does not make it a viable candidate for real-time localization of neutron sources.