Shielded source detection and activity correction system
AssigneeCanberra Industries, Inc.
InventorsFazier Bronson, William Russ
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The method of analyzing the measured radiation spectra to estimate the identified nuclide activities using a designated efficiency calibration based on average expected geometry and using spectral characteristics to flag significant shielding that would otherwise skew said nuclide activities (FIG. 5). And providing an estimation of activity correction factor or attenuation factor for each affected nuclide (200).
Claims32
A method of analyzing measured radiation spectra to determine an estimated nuclide attenuation factor for use in nuclide activity measurements, the method steps comprising:
- obtaining a whole spectrum peak-to-total counts ratio for at least one nuclide source from at least one radiation detector spectrometer device;
- comparing the whole spectrum peak-to-total counts ratio to a general threshold to determine the presence of significant shielding;
- calculating a photopeak scattering metric on a per nuclide photopeak basis using the amount of excess counts in the scattered continuum regions immediately below and immediately above the peak energy region, relative to the net peak area for the nuclide;
- and
- indexing the photopeak scattering metric by energy to an expected shielding response function to yield an estimated attenuation factor to correct the nuclide activity measurements.
A computer software program tangibly embodied in a computer readable medium, the program including machine-readable instructions executable by a computer processor to perform a method of analyzing measured radiation spectra to determine an estimated nuclide attenuation factor for use in nuclide activity measurements, the program steps comprising:
- obtaining a whole spectrum peak-to-total counts ratio for at least one nuclide source from at least one radiation detector spectrometer device;
- comparing the whole spectrum peak-to-total counts ratio to a general threshold to determine the presence of significant shielding;
- calculating a photopeak scattering metric on a per nuclide photopeak basis using the amount of excess counts in the scattered continuum regions immediately below and immediately above the peak energy region, relative to the net peak area for the nuclide;
- and
- indexing the photopeak scattering metric by energy to an expected shielding response function to yield an estimated attenuation factor to correct the nuclide activity measurements.
A method of analyzing measured radiation spectra to determine an estimated nuclide attenuation factor for use in nuclide activity measurements, the method steps comprising:
- obtaining a whole spectrum peak-to-total counts ratio for at least one nuclide source from at least one radiation detector spectrometer device;
- calculating a photopeak scattering metric on a per nuclide photopeak basis using the amount of excess counts in the scattered continuum regions immediately below and immediately above the peak energy region, relative to the net peak area for the nuclide;
- and
- indexing the photopeak scattering metric by energy to an expected shielding response function to yield an estimated attenuation factor to correct the nuclide activity measurements.
A computer software program tangibly embodied in a computer readable medium, the program including machine-readable instructions executable by a computer processor to perform a method of analyzing measured, radiation spectra to determine an estimated nuclide attenuation factor for use in nuclide activity measurements, the program steps comprising:
- obtaining a whole spectrum peak-to-total counts ratio for at least one nuclide source from at least one radiation detector spectrometer device;
- calculating a photopeak scattering metric on a per nuclide photopeak basis using the amount of excess counts in the scattered continuum regions immediately below and immediately above the peak energy region, relative to the net peak area for the nuclide;
- and
- indexing the photopeak scattering metric by energy to an expected shielding response function to yield an estimated attenuation factor to correct the nuclide activity measurements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.