CORDIS

Nowadays decommissioning of nuclear plants and environmental restoration are getting increasingly carried out. As a consequence, this has opened new research fields: decontamination, radio-ecology, and radioactive pollution control.
In this frame, gamma imaging is of a great interest because it enables to locate isolated radioactive sources, remotely and rapidly. In 1990's, CEA has developed one of the world's first operational compact gamma imaging prototype, capable of superimposing a false-color radioactivity distribution image within a few minutes on a visible-light image. Prototypes have been designed, and extensively qualified in laboratory. The entrance window of the camera consists of a small-diameter pinhole, as a result the sensitivity prevent from being operated for environmental monitoring. It turns out that coded aperture, previously studied for astrophysics, and could offer an alternative. Proposal researches are being carried out in order to study how they could replace the pin-hole collimator.
Kurchatov Institute has already being involved in this topic and the first results turn out to be quiet promising. CEA and Kurchatov Institute propose an association with the objective to study more thoroughly this issue.
This program is divided into two main steps. Firstly, a theoretical study based on Monte Carlo simulations provided by Kurchatov Institute team with the help of Moscow State Engineering and Physics Institute.
Secondly laboratory measurements will be performed in both of CEA and Kurchatov Institute laboratory. Finally the technique will be evaluated by SCK-CEN team specialized in declassifying installation formerly devoted to nuclear industrial or scientific activities. This will be achieved in a room of nuclear reactor being cleaned up.