Novel source for nuclear resonance fluorescence NDT of nuclear materials

Nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) is a promising active interrogation technique for nuclear plants, processing facilities, and spent nuclear fuel storage facilities that can provide detailed information about the nuclear structure of interrogated materials. The samples are exposed to gamma rays from an external source, and the resonant excitation of the specific identifiable nuclear states can be detected with an external detector. However, field deployment of NRF systems has been slow, primarily due to the lack of appropriate sources. RadiaBeam Technologies is developing a novel industrial accelerator, the Radiatron, which has an entirely different topology than the linac, and offers excellent duty cycle ( & gt;50%), and energy stability (~10-4) narrowly defined by the extraction system acceptance. With such parameters, a compact, affordable and durable Radiatron accelerator would make a natural choice as the NRF source for a wide range of applications in nuclear science, technology and homeland security. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Due to diagnostics deficiencies, many nuclear wastes are classified into higher levels of radioactive concentration than necessary, which results in significantly inflated storage and disposal costs. Development of the Radiatron-driven NRF diagnostic system will enable reduction of such cost overruns by billions of dollars. Another application of the Radiatron- driven NRF system is in the cargo inspection market. A stand-alone Radiatron will find multiple industrial applications, such as sterilization, food irradiation and polymer curing.