Abstract
Characterization experiments of a new neutron imaging facility at the Radiation Science and Engineering Center (RSEC – NIF) that utilizes the Penn State Breazeale TRIGA reactor were performed to assess the imaging system. It was verified that the RSEC – NIF corresponds to a Category I facility by ASTM designation of quality. Obtained characterization results allow the use of direct and indirect methods of neutron radiography and tomography techniques utilizing conventional films and modern phosphorous plates. This paper describes the details of characterization experiments as well as preliminary results of neutron tomography capabilities of the newly built system.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ünlü K, Heidrich BJ (2016) The Penn State Breazeale Reactor. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): IAEA. https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/SupplementaryMaterials/D482/UnitedStatesOfAmerica.pdf
Zboray R (2020) Reviving and extending the neutron imaging capabilities at the Penn State Breazeale Reactor. Mater Res Proc 15(2020):17–22. https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644900574-32
Kenges A, Ünlü K, Geuther J, Beck D (2020) “Development of a new neutron imaging facility for radiation science and engineering at the Penn State University”. Trans Am Nucl Soc 123:414–416. https://www.ans.org/pubs/transactions/article-48728/
Kenges A, Ünlü K, Beck D (2021) New neutron imaging facility development at the Penn State Breazeale Nuclear Reactor. EPJ Web Conf 253:04012. https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202125304012
Craft AE, Papaioannou GC, Chichester DL, Williams WJ (2017) Conversion from film to image plates for transfer method neutron radiography of nuclear fuel. Phys Procedia 88:81–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phpro.2017.06.010
ASTM standard E545 (2014) “Standard test method for determining image quality in direct thermal neutron radiographic examination”. ASTM International. https://doi.org/10.1520/E0545-14
CRxFlex: industrial CR scanner. Accessed on: 3 April 2022 [Online]. Available: https://www.bakerhughesds.com/digital-x-ray/cr-scanner-crxflex
Adib M, Kilany M (2003) On the use of bismuth as a neutron filter. Radiat Phys Chem 66:81–88
Hussey DS, Jacobson DL, Arif M, Huffman PR, Williams RE, Cook JC (2005) New neutron imaging facility at the NIST. Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res Sect A Accel Spectrom Detect Assoc Equip 542(1–3):9–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2005.01.004
Aizawa O, Matsumoto T, Watanabe S (1986) Usefulness of single-crystal bismuth and silicon for neutron radiography facility. J Nucl Sci Technol 23:562–564. no. 6doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/18811248.1986.9735020
X-ray film and screen for diagnostic imaging. Accessed on: 13 Dec 2021 [Online]. Available: https://medimg.agfa.com/main/x-ray-film-and-screen-systems/
ASTM standard E748 (1995) “Standard guide for thermal neutron radiography of materials”. ASTM International. https://doi.org/10.1520/E0748-19
Morgan SW, King JC, Pope CL (2013) Beam characterization at the neutron radiography reactor. Nucl Eng Des 265:639–653. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2013.08.059
ASTM standard E261 (2016) “Standard practice for determining neutron fluence, fluence rate, and spectra by radioactivation techniques”. ASTM International. https://doi.org/10.1520/E0261-16
ASTM standard E803 (2017) “Standard test method for determining the L/D ratio of neutron radiography beams”. ASTM International. https://doi.org/10.1520/E0803-17
Wang J, Elsevier BV et al (2019) “Microplastics as contaminants in the soil environment: a mini-review. Sci Total Environ 691:848–857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.209 (Nov. 15)
de Souza Machado AA, Kloas W, Zarfl C, Hempel S, Rillig MC (2018) Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems. Global Change Biol 24(4):1405–1416. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14020
de Souza AA (2019) Microplastics can change soil properties and affect plant performance. Environ Sci Technol 53(10):6044–6052. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01339
Tötzke C, Oswald SE, Hilger A, Kardjilov N (2021) Non-invasive detection and localization of microplastic particles in a sandy sediment by complementary neutron and X-ray tomography. J Soils Sediments 21:1476–1487. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-02882-6/Published
Lani C, Zboray R (2020) Development of a high frame rate neutron imaging method for two-phase flows. Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res Sect A Accel Spectro Detect Asso Equip 954:161707
Schindelin J et al (2012) Fiji: an open-source platform for biological-image analysis. Nat Methods 9(7):676–682. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2019
Chen R-C et al (2012) PITRE: software for phase-sensitive x-ray image processing and tomography reconstruction. J Synchr Radiat 19(5):836–845. https://doi.org/10.1107/S0909049512029731
Acknowledgements
The development process of the RSEC – NIF is financially supported by the internal funds of the RSEC at Penn State. The authors would like to thank Dr. Jeffrey Geuther and other RSEC staff members for all their support. The authors also thank Prof. Heather Preisendanz for sharing valuable information and supporting the research with the insightful comments regarding microplastic pollution of the environment.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Kenges, A., Ünlü, K. & Beck, D.B. Characterization of neutron imaging facility at Penn State Breazeale Nuclear Reactor. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 331, 5277–5285 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08445-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08445-4