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Characterization and Implementation of A Dynamic Neutron Imaging System at the PULSTAR Reactor

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Abstract

A real time neutron imaging system is characterized and implemented to demonstrate the non-destructive examination of dynamic events such as bubble dynamics. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed to estimate the bubble diameter and a phantom was manufactured accordingly to generate such bubbles. 1300 µm diameter bubbles are generated by injecting air through 50 µm diameter orifices. Spatial resolution, signal to noise ratio (SNR), and exposure time are measured with a 50 µm and 250 µm thick 6LiF:ZnS scintillator. The characterization was performed with multiple lens aperture opening (f/2.6, f/4.0, and f/5.6), charge-coupled device (CCD) binning (1 × 1, 2 × 2, and 4 × 4) and two different positions at the neutron beamline. The spatial resolution and exposure time were determined as 245 ± 5 µm and 50 ms respectively for the demonstration. Additionally, the individual bubbles were identified and segmented to characterize the size distribution of the bubbles.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded in part by U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) infrastructure grant. Arka Datta was with the Department of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, when this work was performed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Science & Engineering, GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI, 53188, USA

    Arka Datta

  2. Department of Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Ayman I. Hawari

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  1. Arka Datta
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  2. Ayman I. Hawari
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Correspondence to Arka Datta.

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Datta, A., Hawari, A.I. Characterization and Implementation of A Dynamic Neutron Imaging System at the PULSTAR Reactor. J Sign Process Syst 94, 411–424 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11265-021-01694-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11265-021-01694-8

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