ABSTRACT
Objective To develop an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-borne radiation monitoring system with high detection efficiency and nuclide identification ability for airborne monitoring in nuclear emergency. Methods The UAV-borne CeBr3 radiation monitoring system was composed of four cerium bromide (CeBr3) crystal detectors coupled with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) and other components including integrated modules, intelligent electronic devices, and new composite materials. Results According to various performance tests on the system, the crystal energy resolution was better than 5% (@0.662 MeV), the peak drift of the energy spectrum was within ±1 channel, the linear fit of energy was 0.99997, the change in the count rate of each energy window during 12 h long-term measurement was less than 5%, and the detection efficiency was higher compared with that of NaI (Tl) detectors of the same volume. Conclusion Through ground point source testing and theoretical calculation, the system has reliable ability to identify radionuclides, which can be used in nuclide identification and the preparedness and response for nuclear and radiation emergencies.