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ABSTRACTA Compton camera system for use on an unmanned helicopter was previously developed to characterize the distribution of radioactive materials in highly contaminated areas. For this study, a Compton camera system was equipped with a small camera, laser distance meter, an attitude angle sensor, temperature sensors, and real-time monitoring software for better measurement of flight parameters and more precise detection of hot spot locations. To confirm whether the detection results were improved by the modifications, ground-level ambient dose equivalent rate distributions were derived from hovering and programmed flights over a field in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture (Japan) and compared against readings from survey meters taken at the ground level. For one hovering flight, the correlation between the datasets was improved by selecting a period of stable flight position and attitude and restricting the deviation of the attitude angles. Between 6.0% and 7.6% improvement in the position resolution was achieved using the data from stable flight periods, even when only 1-minute data windows were used. The precision of hot spot detections and ambient dose equivalent rate distributions obtained from the Compton camera were thus improved by the aforementioned modifications to the system.

ABSTRACTAn improved light-weight Compton camera exhibiting low power consumption was developed to be mountable on an unmanned helicopter to detect cesium radiation hot spots and confirm the decontamination effect of cesium-affected areas. An increase in the Ce:Gd3(Al,Ga)5O12scintillator array from 4 × 4 to 8 × 8 and expansion of the interlayer distance enhanced the detection efficiency and angular resolution, respectively. Measurements were performed over the Ukedo riverbed in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture (Japan). The helicopter's flight path and speed were pre-programmed to lines interspaced by 5 and 10 m intervals and 1 m/s, respectively, facilitating measurements over areas of 65 × 60 m2and 65 × 180 m2at a height of 10 m for approximately 20 and 30 min, respectively. Results provided accurate ambient dose equivalent rate maps at a height of 1 m with an angular resolution corresponding to a position resolution of approximately 10 m from a height of 10 m. Hovering flights were executed over hot-spot areas for 10–20 min at a height of 5–20 m. Gamma-ray images of these hot spots were obtained using a reconstruction software. Comparison between position-shifted measurement results showed that the angular resolution coincided with that evaluated in the laboratory (approximately 10°).

Due to the accident of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, some areas were contaminated by released radioisotopes (mainly 137Cs and 134Cs). Effective decontamination is demanded to encourage evacuated people to return. This paper proposes a new survey system using an unmanned helicopter equipped with a Compton camera for localizing radionuclides. As a prototype, 32 Ce:Gd3(Al,Ga)5O12(GAGG) crystals were coupled to 16 silicon photomultipliers and 16 avalanched photodiodes as the scatterer and absorber, respectively. A new Dynamic Time-over-Threshold (dToT) method was applied to convert CR-RC shaping signals to digital signals for multi-channel spectra and coincidence acquisition. The system was designed to work in two modes: one is Compton-camera mode (CCM) which obtains the radiation distribution maps through Compton imaging using hovering flights, while the other one is Gamma-camera mode (GCM) which maps the radiation distribution via measured coincidence events using programmed flights. For point source in CCM, an intrinsic efficiency of 1.68% with a combined standard uncertainty of 0.04% and an angular resolution of about 14° (FWHM, full width at half maximum) was achieved. In GCM, a spatial resolution of about 11 cm (FWHM) was obtained when detecting area is 11.2 cm away from the detector, while it was about 28 cm (FWHM) in single detector mode (SDM). Promising results were obtained in field in Fukushima.