PhD Defense | Stef Geelen | Improving Radiological Monitoring Using Drones

Improving Radiological Monitoring Using Drones 

Drones, or more generally UAVs, are an innovative technology that can be equipped for use in several applications such as agriculture, entertainment and safety. They also have a clear utility in radiological or nuclear events. In these scenarios, first responders are exposed to unknown amounts of radiation, making the characterization of the area of investigation significantly more dangerous. UAVs can help first responders characterize the area more efficiently while remaining at a safe distance. In this thesis, three detector systems were created, each with a different goal in mind. The first drone-detector system uses a standard ambient dose equivalent rate detector, the Automess 6150AD-b, together with a commercially available multicopter drone, the DJI M600. The goal of this system was to provide a simple and available drone-detector combination. It uses a bluetooth module together with an Android application to record the dose rate data. This system allowed us to characterize a historical waste site, the D1 site of Umicore, in less than 2 hours. For the second system, Penelope (2018) Monte Carlo simulations were used to design an optimized detector for high-altitude identification and quantification of radiation sources. The optimum—a cylindrical CsI scintillation detector with a 3 cm thickness and a 5.5 cm radius—was integrated into the Penguin C fixed-wing UAV. This drone-detector system was used to map the K-40 concentration of the fields surrounding Droneport Sint-Truiden. A second flight was performed over SCK CEN, where we were able to distinguish the Ar-41 plume from the BR1 stack, the Belgoprocess site, and the Solarium near the BR3. Lastly, a directional detector system was created by positioning three identical cylindrical CsI scintillation detectors (7 cm by 7 cm) such that they shielded each other from incoming radiation. The calibration and proof of concept of this detector system were executed alongside the development of a directional algorithm.

Promoters:

Wouter Schroeyers

SCK CEN mentors:

Johan Camps

Geert Olyslaegers