The Mapping of Alpha-Emitting Radionuclides in the Environment Using an Unmanned Aircraft System

The Mapping of Alpha-Emitting Radionuclides in the Environment Using an Unmanned Aircraft System

The protection of first responders from radioactive contamination with alpha emitters that may result from a radiological accident is of great complexity due to the short range of alpha particles in the air of a few centimeters. To overcome this issue, for the first time, a system mounted on a UAS f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Remote sensing (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 16; no. 5; p. 848
Main Authors: Royo, Pablo, Vargas, Arturo, Guillot, Tania, Saiz, David, Pichel, Jonathan, Rábago, Daniel, Duch, María Amor, Grossi, Claudia, Luchkov, Maksym, Dangendorf, Volker, Krasniqi, Faton
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-03-2024
Subjects:
Accidents
Aircraft
Alpha particles
Alpha rays
alpha-emitting radionuclides
Atoms & subatomic particles
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
Drone aircraft
Emergency response
Emitters
Field tests
Gamma rays
Health risk assessment
Health risks
Light
Nitrogen
Radioactive contamination
Radioactive pollution
Radioisotopes
radiological detection
Sensors
Software
Surface activity
Time measurement
Transistors
UAS
UAS software architecture
Ultraviolet radiation
Unmanned aerial vehicles
Unmanned aircraft
Spain
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Summary:The protection of first responders from radioactive contamination with alpha emitters that may result from a radiological accident is of great complexity due to the short range of alpha particles in the air of a few centimeters. To overcome this issue, for the first time, a system mounted on a UAS for the near-real-time remote measurement of alpha particles has been developed, tested, and calibrated. The new system, based on an optical system adapted to be installed on a UAS in order to measure the UV-C fluorescence emitted by alpha particles in the air, has been tested and calibrated, carried out in the laboratory and in field experiments using UV-C LEDs and 241Am sources. In experimental flights, the probability of detecting a point source was determined to be approximately 60%. In the case of a surface extended source, a detection efficiency per unit surface activity of 10 counts per second per MBq cm−2 was calculated. A background count rate of UV-C of around 26 ± 28 s−1 for an integration time of 0.1 s was measured during flights, which led to a decision threshold surface activity of 5 MBq cm−2.
ISSN:2072-4292
2072-4292
DOI:10.3390/rs16050848