Radiation detection apparatus and method
AssigneeJohnson Matthey Public Limited Company
InventorsMarco Panniello, Emanuele Ronchi, Carl Robert Tipton
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Abstract
An apparatus for detecting radiation for obtaining density information of a structure, the apparatus including: at least one detector (10), the detector (10) including: a scintillator (12) including a scintillating material for emitting light in response to incident radiation (14), and a photodetector (16) for receiving light emitted by the scintillating material (12) and outputting an electrical signal in response to light received from the scintillating material (12), wherein the photodetector (16) includes at least one silicon photomultiplier (16a). The invention reduces the volume of the apparatus and therefore provides particular advantages for use in scanning pipelines and other structures located deep subsea.
Claims19
A subsea apparatus for scanning a subsea structure to detect changes in density between different parts of the structure, the apparatus comprising:
- a source of radiation;
- and
- a plurality of detectors arranged in an arc around a space adapted to receive the structure to be scanned, each detector comprising:
- a scintillator comprising a scintillating material for emitting light in response to incident radiation from the source, and
- a photodetector for receiving light emitted by the scintillating material and outputting an electrical signal in response to light received from the scintillating material,
- wherein the photodetector comprises a plurality of silicon photomultipliers and wherein the apparatus is configured such that output signals of said plurality of silicon photomultipliers are combined prior to amplification.
A method for scanning a subsea structure to detect differences in density between different parts of the structure, comprising:
- providing a plurality of detectors arranged in an arc around a space adapted to receive the structure to be scanned, each detector comprising:
- a scintillator comprising a scintillating material for emitting light in response to incident radiation, and
- a photodetector for receiving light emitted by the scintillating material and outputting an electrical signal in response to light received from the scintillating material,
- wherein the photodetector comprises a plurality of silicon photomultipliers;
- providing a source of radiation arranged to emit radiation towards each detector through the structure to be scanned;
- and
- measuring a number of radiation particles from said source detected by each detector;
- wherein output signals of said plurality of silicon photomultipliers are combined prior to amplification.
A subsea apparatus for scanning a subsea structure to detect changes in density between different parts of the structure, the apparatus comprising:
- a source of radiation;
- and
- a plurality of detectors, each detector comprising:
- a scintillator comprising a scintillating material for emitting light in response to incident radiation from the source, and
- a photodetector for receiving light emitted by the scintillating material and outputting an electrical signal in response to light received from the scintillating material,
- wherein the photodetector comprises a plurality of silicon photomultipliers and wherein the apparatus is configured such that output signals of said plurality of silicon photomultipliers are combined prior to amplification, and
- wherein the plurality of detectors and said source are arranged on opposite sides of a space for receiving a structure to be scanned, and the apparatus further comprises means for rotating said plurality of detectors and said source around the structure to be scanned.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.