Spectroscopy

In the course of initiating transatlantic trade- and investment cooperations and further free trade agreements inspections of cargo will drastically increase (oversea containers, security aspects and spectroscopy)

Maritime containers represent a significant part of the international trade and supply chains, which are the backbone to Economy of Europe. Containers transport involves numerous manufacturers, logistic nodes, operators, platforms and check-points (in particular containers ports). Improving their security requires an integrated research and development approach, including risk assessment, traceability, secure exchange between nations and across operators, and fast but effective screening.

Container security

Examples of cargo, which could be detected:

The security research of the European Commission is supporting the development of the technologies for container security and supply chains in general. The goal is to develop new security solutions that fully meet the requirements of the end-users and to improve the competitiveness of European economic players.

It is also important to note that the US authorities (DHS: Department of Homeland Security) have adopted new legislation that -- as from 2012 -- would impose a 100% scanning in foreign ports of containers bound to the US. The European Commission continues to advocate the internationally recognised multi-layered risk-based approach including mutual recognition of trade partnership programs for enhancing and protecting the international supply chain. In the framework of this approach, the Commission is ready to work with the US to find possible technological solutions to help address the security concerns linked to container security.

  • Illegal waste exports or imports
  • Hazardous materials causing many annual maritime insurance claims
  • Accumulated pest poisons
  • Smuggled goods to avoid import duties and restrictions
  • Narcotic Drugs
  • Weapons for Criminals
  • Illegal Immigrants
  • Explosives and Precursors
  • Weapons of Mass Destruction
  • Fissile Materials

The demand of detection capability with high throughput has been declared by the EU, USA and' other nations as a consequence of the rising policy of Civil Security.

Risk assessment screening of all containers must rapidly process a dynamic global data base of registered information. Precise tracking of containers is a logistics function. Physical measurement is essential to ensure that the contents which start the journey remain the same. Only penetrating radiation can interrogate a container without intrusion; overcoming the limitations of passive radiation detection.

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Example: Explosives & Contraband

There are many types of neutron interactions which have been proposed and demonstrated for security applications.

X-ray systems dominate but the weakness of x-ray systems and human operators to identify explosive material itself is well documented.

Among the array of neutron techniques, we can find thermal neutron capture. This enables an unusual abundance of nitrogen to be detected as a gamma spectrum peak. Most explosives are nitrogen rich.

Concepts for the scanning of individual items of baggage with neutrons have required a stop-start-stop-start movement of the object into the scanner. In some cases, the isotropic neutron source has been placed in the middle of a circular conveyor so that more scanning stations can be used simultaneously.

NSD-GRADEL-FUSION and another company have independently conceived the concept of the neutron scanning tunnel which avoids the stop-start stress on the conveyor and associated delays. The NSD linear or distributed multi-head neutron generator provides the geometry necessary for efficient shielding and positioning of the scanning stations along the conveyor; straight or curved.

The speed of transit through the security screening tunnel can be maintained at normal conveyor speed. The neutron output can be kept as low as practical or (As Low As Reasonably Achievable - ALARA) because the individual scanning station gamma spectroscopy data per object can be synchronized or commutated with the speed of the objects on the conveyor. Therefore the total scanning time per object can reach a level of statistical significance to assure a minimization of false positives.

The NSD neutron generator provides long neutron emission chambers or multi-head configurations which have operation lifetime of many years. The servicing interval will not be dictated by a central cartridge that burns out or erodes in just a few thousand hours of operation. Life cycle economics are most attractive. The configuration or arrangement of gamma detectors, shielding, moderator and neutron generator can be varied to suit.

A project to deploy a neutron baggage screening tunnel will involve:

  • A launching customer driven by a desire to avoid air traffic disruption when critical alerts reveal the inadequacy of x-ray screening
  • a baggage logistics study for the airport to determine the optimal locations and specifications (we can recommend an experienced consultant)
  • construction of the deliverable machine (network of suppliers including the system engineers)
  • deployment and maintenance

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Explosive Detection

Explosive Detection Systems that use neutron interactions measure the relative abundance of unique gamma spectral peaks such as that produced by nitrogen which occurs in almost all explosive compounds.

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Maritime Container Security

Maritime containers represent a significant part of the international trade and supply chains, which are the backbone to Economy of Europe. Containers transport involves numerous manufacturers, logistic nodes, operators, platforms and check-points (in particular containers ports). Improving their security requires an integrated research and development approach, including risk assessment, traceability, secure exchange between nations and across operators, and fast but effective screening.

The security research of the European Commission is supporting the development of the technologies for container security and supply chains in general. The goal is to develop new security solutions that fully meet the requirements of the end-users and to improve the competitiveness of European economic players.

It is also important to note that the US authorities (DHS: Department of Homeland Security) have adopted new legislation that -- as from 2012 -- would impose a 100% scanning in foreign ports of containers bound to the US. The European Commission continues to advocate the internationally recognised multi-layered risk-based approach including mutual recognition of trade partnership programs for enhancing and protecting the international supply chain. In the framework of this approach, the Commission is ready to work with the US to find possible technological solutions to help address the security concerns linked to container security.

Example: ContainerProbe-Net

The ContainerProbe portal hardware when coupled with a to-be-developed "Data Fusion" system (software & global connectivity) will comprise an overall product solution called ContainerNet. It is designed to be a global system for 100% Risk Screening of inter-modal containers while they are in motion. It will have the following suspected risk screening capabilities:

A ContainerProbe Poster has been submitted to the Cordis/FP7 security partnering web site.

Misdeclared Hazardous Materials:

  • Illegal waste exports or imports
  • Hazardous materials causing many annual maritime insurance claims
  • Accumulated pest poisons

Contraband Materials:

  • Smuggled goods to avoid import duties and restrictions
  • Narcotic Drugs
  • Weapons for Criminals
  • Illegal Immigrants

Terrorism Materials:

  • Explosives and Precursors
  • Weapons of Mass Destruction
  • Fissile Materials

The demand for this type of detection capability with high throughput has been declared by the EU, USA and other nations as a consequence of the rising policy of Civil Security.

The statistics of container traffic are daunting. In 2005, there were 85 million containers. By 2024, 243 million TEU (Twenty foot Equivalent Unit) are predicted. Rail carried containers are becoming the dominant mode of transport into and out of ports.

Risk assessment screening of all containers must rapidly process a dynamic global data base of registered information. Precise tracking of containers is a logistics function. Physical measurement is essential to ensure that the contents which start the journey remain the same. Only penetrating radiation can interrogate a container without intrusion; overcoming the limitations of passive radiation detection.

Dependance on x-ray like imaging transfers the risk assessment to human monitors which are proned to erratic performance. Detailed images of all (100%) container contents at a major port has been demonstrated to be economically unacceptable and consequently abandoned.

A very short but intense burst or flash of pulsed neutrons through the container from the NSD neutron generator, which is as long as the container, causes well known Prompt Gamma emissions from the bulk contents. The slow moving containers on a train or automated vehicle at 5 m/s (~20kph) appear effectively motionless. The full energy gamma spectrum collected during the following two seconds provides a profile of the elemental composition of the bulk contents.

The already established ISPS data base for customs and security plus logistical tracking of each and every container in transit will be used by ContainerNet to perform a fast match of content gamma profiles with contents classification. Additional detection of neutrons caused by active neutron "pings" can be used to immediately indicate fissile materials. The transit time within the port provides a buffer for security data base correlations. Transit from inter-modal transport node to node provides further off-line time for deeper background investigations in disparate data bases via ContainerNet. Containers with anomalies to the matching process are diverted to the more detailed scanning systems which produce images and elemental information for analysis of suspected security threats.

 

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Blast Furnace Liner

A modern blast furnace is refractory lined to protect the furnace shell from the high temperatures and abrasive materials inside the furnace. The refractory lining is cooled to further enhance the protection against the dispatch of excess heat that can destroy the refractory lining. With neutron a review of this lining would be possible to avoid a destruction of the blast furnace.

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Mineral Online Analyse

PGNAA bedeutet “Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis”. Es wird schon lange in Zement-Analyse-Systemen angewandt, zur Zeit hauptsächlich mit Isotopen (Californium 252) angewendet. Die nächste Generation der Zement- und Steinkohleanalysesysteme wird vom NSD Neutronengenerator mit längerer Lebensdauer und Vielseitigkeit profitieren.

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Soil Sample Space

Asteroids, meteorites and comets may have high levels of precious metals, rare earth metals, or other useful materials, which may be important for the development of space travel and the resource recovery in the future. In the asteroid belt there are many metal-rich objects with valuable materials which could cover the needs of industrial metals for decades. Furthermore, they are necessary to ensure exploring distant planets.

Spectroscopic studies of comets, asteroids and meteorites with autonomous or controlled spacecraft will win even more importance in the future

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Soil Sample

Leakage of stored contaminants can damage surrounding soil. Contamination can affect soil and pollutants end up more or less tightly bound in soil bodies. Soil remediation is possible, however this activity is associated with time, effort and high cost. Alternatively, in many cases of long-term storage, constant entry and high accumulation of outside contaminants can severely damage contents. This pdf shows an accurate determination of the contaminated areas necessary to achieve a cost reduction.

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