Year
1995
Abstract
Several new sensing devices have recently been designed as part of the Oak Ridge Sensors for Enhancing Nuclear Safeguards (ORSENS) program. These sensors were developed for utilization in real-time material accountability monitoring systems. Each of the sensors represents the state-of-the-art in low cost technologies that are durable, highly reliable, and have either totally or virtually passive modes of operation. The sensors can and have, been configured into direct wired or wireless automated monitoring systems. Usually, the systems are designed to provide individual item monitoring from all materials, but the system can also be configured for items stored in lots or groups. Sensors and automated monitoring systems are being developed for both static and dynamic (active) storage environments. Several types of the low-cost sensing devices have been built, each capable of monitoring one or more physical attributes from either enriched uranium or plutonium. The attributes that can be monitored include radiation (both gamma and neutron), weight, item identification tags, temperature, isotopic enrichment, item motion, and physical location. This paper will describe the ORSENS technologies, along with some collaborative efforts and the systems being developed where the sensors are being applied