Technology Commercialization and Partnerships | BSA 07-22: Compact Room-Temperature Radiation Detector for Oil & Gas Exploration

Print Friendly

Category: electronics & instrumentation

BSA 07-22: Compact Room-Temperature Radiation Detector for Oil & Gas Exploration

BNL Reference Number: BSA 07-22

Patent Status: U.S. Patent Number 8,063,378 was issued on November 22, 2011

Summary

A schematic of the radiation detector in (a) cross-section view, (b) 3-D view, and (c) depicting the focusing electric field.

These small, solid-state radiation detectors can be used at room temperature, making them more practical, mobile, and cost-effective than existing devices. Comparable detectors must be operated at very cold temperatures using liquid nitrogen, limiting versatility and raising costs. The shape of these new devices also makes them ideal building blocks for assembling arrays, which can aid in the location of weak radiological sources such as naturally occurring radiological materials (NORMs).

Description

Substantially shielded from external electrostatic interference, this sensitive solid-state cadmium zinc telluride radiation detector can monitor, locate, and identify radiation-emitting material. The detector can comprise a single cell or an array composed of multiple cells, for example as four by four or sixteen by sixteen arrays of radiation detector cells. In X-ray, gamma ray, and ionizing particle detectors, including virtual Frisch-grid radiation detectors operating as single carrier-transport devices with improved shielding, where the conducting shield is electrically decoupled from the cathode, an enhanced focusing drift field better directs liberated electrons to the anode and improves detection of particle interaction depth.

Benefits

These solid-state radiation detectors can be used at room temperature or with Peltier cooling, which makes them more practical and cost-effective than alternative detectors with comparable performance. The design and shape also allows for the creation of arrays for more accurate spectroscopy or imaging of weak radiological sources.

Applications and Industries

These practical radiation detection devices can be used down boreholes to monitor radiation levels. The detectors can replace or augment current systems that use nitrogen-cooled high-purity germanium (HPGe) or scintillator crystals. With their less stringent cooling requirements and small size, these devices can be deployed in spaces too small for conventional detectors to reach, such as those frequently critical in oil and gas exploration. Their ability to identify isotopes and perform high-spatial-resolution digital imaging is also expected to impact several medical, environmental, and national-security markets.