Development of a GdSiO (GPS) scintillator-based alpha imaging detector for rapid plutonium detection in high-radon environments

Morishita, Yuki   ; Izaki, Kenji ; Kaneko, Junichi* ; Yamamoto, Seiichi*; Higuchi, Mikio*; Torii, Tatsuo  

We developed a GdSiO (GPS) scintillator-based alpha imaging detector and demonstrated its effectiveness by evaluating actual Pu particle and Rn progeny. The GPS scintillator plate was prepared by a sintering method. The outer dimensions of the GPS scintillator plate were 5 5 cm, and the scintillator layer was approximately 50 m on a 3-mm-thick high-transparency glass. The plate was optically coupled to a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube with silicone grease. The developed imaging detector exhibited good uniformity. Pu particle activities were accurately evaluated at 14 different positions, and the difference in activity was within 6%. Radon-222 (Rn) progeny counts were reduced by 65.3% by applying an energy window. Although the Pu/Rn progeny activity ratio was 1/51, the Pu particle was successfully identified among Rn progeny within the 5 min-measurement time. The imaging detector has an excellent ability for detecting Pu among Rn progeny. Thus, this detector is useful for alpha contamination monitoring in high-radon-background environments.