ABSTRACT
A phantom has been used to position two radiation sources, separately, when buried under dry-silica sand at depths between 5 and 50 mm. A γ-ray energy spectrum was then measured at every 1 mm depth. Principal component analysis has been conducted, which has led to a non-linear fit being established, allowing the depth of entrainment to be accurately inferred. The technique has been expanded for additional shielding media: water, aggregate and both wet and dry soil. The technique has also been expanded beyond the previous depth constraint of 50 mm.
ABSTRACT
A method to determine the depth of buried localized radioactive contamination nonintrusively and nondestructively using principal component analysis is described. The γ-ray spectra from two radionuclides, cesium-137 and cobalt-60, have been analyzed to derive the two principal components that change most significantly as a result of varying the depth of the sources in a bespoke sand-filled phantom. The relationship between depth (d) and the angle (θ) between the first two principal component coefficients has been derived for both cases, viz. d(Φ) = x + y log(e) Φ where x and y are constants dependent on the shielding material and the γ-ray energy spectrum of the radioactivity in question, and φ is a function of θ. The technique enables the depth of a localized radioactive source to be determined nonintrusively in the range 5 to 50 mm with an accuracy of ±1 mm.