Development of a Radioactive Sorting and Volume Reduction System for Radioactive Contaminated Sandy Soil Using Plastic Scintillator and NaI Detectors
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Radioactively contaminated sandy soil is commonly encountered during nuclear facility decommissioning and nuclear accident response, and its rapid sorting and volume reduction are crucial for achieving waste minimization and lowering remediation costs. This study designed and developed a radiation measurement system based on a large-volume plastic scintillator and a NaI array detector, focusing on the design, implementation, and performance validation of its radiation detection and signal processing subsystems. The system employed differential measurement to obtain the net radioactive count rate of sandy soil, while enhancing energy spectrum stability through programmable gain control and temperature stabilization. Experimental results demonstrated that both plastic scintillator arrays effectively achieved dynamic background subtraction within a 1.8 s measurement cycle, with net count rate errors controlled below 10%. The NaI detector array achieved an energy resolution better than 8% at 662 keV, with the peak channel drift within ±1 channel. Rapid activity measurements for radioactive sources such as 241Am and 137Cs exhibited errors below 10%, meeting the key technical requirements for sandy soil separation and volume reduction. These findings provided data support and methodological reference for subsequent system integration and engineering application of sorting and volume reduction equipment.
Source: Sensors
DOI: 10.3390/s25247458
Authors: Chengzhou Fan, Zhenxing Liu, Jinshuai Yang, Rui Li, Jianbo Yang
Language: English
Subfield: Radiation
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
Award: G382218053
OpenAlex ID: W4417123587