Description
E-poster session with display of each e-poster on an assigned touchscreen
Various man-made phenomena such as medical isotope facilities and power plants have complicated the understanding of radioxenon measurements. Argon-37 could be added to increase confidence in observations. However, the atmospheric background of argon-37 is not as well understood as the radioxenons. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has developed a new continuous and automatic benchtop...
This abstract demonstrates an operational radiometric monitoring system for IMS Radionuclide Stations. The main idea of the system is that after sampling the sample is not placed directly into the decay storage, but on a beta spectrometer for measurement and monitoring. Such a measurement immediately after sampling allows for a rapid assessment of the radiation situation in the area of the...
Existing radionuclide aerosol collection systems within the CTBT’s International Monitoring System operate near the noise floor of the gamma spectrometer measurement. Increasing the flow rate of radionuclide aerosol systems while meeting the CTBT’s specified collection efficiencies will increase particle collection and, potentially, decrease sample interval. Creare developed a detailed model...
Noble gas monitoring systems are used in the International Monitoring System (IMS) for the verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). They monitor the atmosphere for traces of radioxenon released by clandestine nuclear weapon tests. Radioargon is used as a complementary tracer during On-Site Inspections (OSI) to look for underground tests. Efficient collection and...
Noble gas monitoring systems are used in the International Monitoring System (IMS) for the verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). They monitor the atmosphere for traces of radioxenon released by clandestine nuclear weapon tests. Radioargon is used as a complementary tracer during on-site inspections to look for underground tests. Efficient collection and purification...
The INL Noble Gas Laboratory provides intercomparison samples for the noble gas analysis laboratories as part of the International Monitoring System. Xe-133m is one of the four relevant radionuclides in nuclear explosion monitoring. Without commercially available Xe-133m calibration standards laboratories must create and improve calibration methods. Improvements in calibration methods at the...
This presentation describes the Argon-37 Field System in detail, a complex instrument, which was developed to measure 37Ar from soil gas samples. Argon-37 is an important signature for assessing if an event was nuclear, it is produced via neutron activation of calcium in the soil, is non-reactive so will migrate through the earth unimpeded, and will likely be available at the subsurface for...
The SAUNA QUBE, developed by the Swedish Defence Research Agency and manufactured by Scienta Envinet, represents a major advancement in atmospheric radioxenon monitoring. It offers high performance at significantly lower costs than its predecessors, allowing the creation of dense monitoring arrays that improve detection probability, data availability, and source localization precision. To...
Usually, a volume of IMS Xe sample is not exceeding a few cc of pure Xe and volume of OSI sample is significant less. Proposed technology increased Xe volume for more than 100 times and provide high sensitivity spectrometric measurement (MDC for Xe133, Xe135, Xe133m and Xe135 always during the measurement were less than 10-5 Bq/m3). MDC for 4 Xe are by several orders less than MDC of existing...
Xenon-127 is a neutron-deficient radionuclide produced from neutron activation rather than fission, for example via radiative capture on stable xenon-126. It is not an isotope actively monitored as a signature of a nuclear test, however its longer half-life (36 d), measurable nuclear decay emissions and lack of environmental background signal make it an ideal tracer radionuclide for...
In the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), radionuclide monitoring is a key to provide evidence of an explosion being nuclear in nature. In this respect, the gamma-ray coincidence spectrometry has emerged as a powerful technique to suppress background from naturally occurring radioactivity while maintaining good efficiency for coincident gamma-ray emitters of interest. Although this...
The International Monitoring System (IMS) of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) includes 80 radionuclide stations performing continuous radionuclide particulate monitoring, supported by a network of 16 radionuclide laboratories which undertake verification and reanalysis of samples. The current analysis technique employed across the IMS uses high-resolution gamma spectroscopy to...
This study delves into the origins and mitigation strategies for detector noise in beta-gamma detectors used for radioxenon measurements, a crucial element in nuclear test-ban monitoring. Detector noise, arising from both electronic and environmental interferences, significantly affects the precision and accuracy of radioxenon isotopic analysis. A series of experiments was conducted at the...
Many countries around the world use high volume samplers to sample air for radioactive particulate measurements. For many years, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) performs the sampling and measurements in the Netherlands for environmental monitoring purposes. Since 2011 a Snow White air sampler from manufacturer Senya Oy is used, which is the same air...
In the scope of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), the detection of radioactive xenon by the stations of the International Monitoring System (IMS) is a crucial challenge for the detection and the qualification of nuclear tests. This task is made difficult because of the low activity of these elements present in trace amounts in the atmosphere.
The laboratory is therefore...
Radioactive gas measurement is a key technology for nuclear explosion detection. Gas collection and separations play an important role in performing high sensitivity measurements of radioactive noble gases such as radioxenon. Decreasing the size, weight, and power of noble gas detection systems could allow higher volume gas processing with the same footprint and power, increasing overall...
IMS nuclear explosion monitoring systems rely primarily on the radioxenon to detect illicit nuclear events. However, these systems require prompt event detection since the main isotopes of interest (131mXe, 133+133mXe, and 135Xe) have half-lives between 11.9 days and 9.14 hours. Here, we present a complimentary tool for detecting fission events utilizing...
Modern systems for detecting radioactive noble gas isotopes require high sensitivity, reliability, and durability. One of the critical challenges is minimizing the memory effect, which manifests itself as residual activity on the surface of the detectors. Previously, VNIIA developed a barrier coating technology for scintillation cells using poly-chloro-para-xylylene, known for its high gas...
The radioxenon stations of the International Monitoring System (IMS) extract xenon from the atmosphere, focusing on the four primary radioxenons and radon's daughter products, $^{214}$Pb and $^{214}$Bi, in their activity concentration calculations. However, $^{125}$Xe, which is both an air activation and fission product, may become more prevalent with the next generation of radioxenon systems...
The first commercially available unit of the Xenon International system was installed at the General Dynamics Mission Systems’ Engineering Test Bed (Chantilly, Virginia, USA) in May of 2024. In preparation for deployment into the IMS, General Dynamics has operated the system in the same manner as a certified system and has been working in conjunction with the Provisional Technical Secretariat...
Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) based FirstLook detector systems can provide a near-real time look at the collection of aerosolized radionuclides on the filter media in particulate collecting systems. In cases where high levels or radionuclides are present in air masses, FirstLook detectors could provide station operators the ability to tune the collection of the system to prevent contamination...
A newly commissioned STAX series monitor, developed by INVAP, has successfully completed factory acceptance tests and demonstrated reliable data transmission in accordance with STAX project requirements. This monitor is scheduled for installation at the La Reina RECH-1 Research Reactor facility in Santiago, Chile, during the first half of 2025. This unit represents an upgraded version of the...
This study investigates the long-term variations in radioxenon efficiency calibrations by conducting nearly monthly calibration experiments over an extended period on a single system. Historically, radioxenon detection systems are calibrated infrequently, often only once or very rarely, raising concerns about the long-term accuracy and reliability of the detectors. Accurate and consistent...
The measurement of low-levels of radioxenon is an important part of the International Monitoring System (IMS) operated by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization Preparatory Commission (CTBTO PrepCom). These stations are continually measuring the radioxenon in air samples to monitor for nuclear explosions. The IMS also includes laboratories capable of measuring radioxenon...
The development of space reactors represents a crucial advancement in exploration, providing sustainable energy for extended missions and emergency scenarios. This study focuses on the radiological impacts of a hypothetical space reactor accident during atmospheric re-entry at an altitude of 70 km, where aerodynamic and thermal stresses increase the risk of structural disintegration and...
Lessons learned from more than 20+ years of aerosol sampling have better informed the International Monitoring System community of heightened needs for an updated aerosol monitoring capability. Increased efficiency contributing to delivering lower minimum detectable concentrations, system resilience, system agility and better timely access to data are just some of the heightened performance...
This work is devoted to the study of sorption materials for use in the sample processing device of the MIKS monitoring system of xenon isotopes. The aim of the work was to select new materials with improved sorption characteristics with respect to xenon to ensure stable xenon extraction and reduce the minimum detectable concentration (MDC) for the Xe-133 isotope. To determine the sorption...
In response to the demand for high-sensitivity monitoring atmospheric radioactive xenon isotopes, this study investigates an intelligent dynamic sampling method based on online mass spectrometry technology. Traditional atmospheric xenon sampling processes rely on time-fixed control modes and stable xenon measurement techniques using thermal conductivity detectors, which suffer from issues such...
National Data Centres (NDCs) participated in 2024 Experiment by performing Automated and Interactive analysis of Radionuclide Spectral Data and produced both the Automated Radionuclide Reports (ARR) and the Reviewed Radionuclide Reports (RRR) for a selection of particulate and noble gas sample spectra. The NDC reports are used to produce the baseline reports for comparison with the IDC...
The International Monitoring System (IMS) network of radionuclide monitoring stations is supported by the PTS certified radionuclide laboratories through the analysis of particulate and noble gas samples from these stations.
The purposes of the laboratory analysis are to corroborate the results of the routine analysis of a sample from an IMS station, to provide more accurate and precise...
Since its certification by CTBTO into the IMS network, a total of eight SAUNA III systems and one SAUNA III laboratory have been installed in the field and Several additional upgrades are on the way. Four of the installed systems are in the IMS network and the others are independent customers in Europe and the Middle East. On this poster we report on the lessons learned from the first years of...
The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) International Monitoring System (IMS) is designed to provide a network of 80 Radionuclide detection systems, strategically positioned around the globe to detect particulate radionuclide emissions from nuclear explosions. This paper describes progress on the implementation of ultra-sensitive monitoring systems to the IMS, including the...
The calibration procedure used for SAUNA-type noble gas systems has been revisited. Input data to the calibration procedure was resampled using a bootstrapping method, this showed that uncertainties in detection efficiencies and interference correction ratios estimated by earlier procedures were too large. For this reason, the curve fitting method and its uncertainty evaluation was revised....
Xenon International has recently tested a new quality control (QC) source for the nuclear detectors which uses an acrylic housing for a $^{137}$Cs source. The original source holder used in acceptance testing was $^{137}$Cs housed in a stainless-steel pellet. The high Z of the stainless steel attenuated low energy X-rays. The new QC source allows for the lower energy (~30 keV) emissions from...
