Novel Opaque Scintillator Technology for Nuclear Industry Imaging based on Anti-Matter Detection

Introduction

We propose to deliver a novel technology for the nuclear industry to open the possibility of direct monitoring of nuclear reactions inside nuclear power plant cores. The new technology centers on a radically new and totally counter-intuitive approach to radiation detection that has arisen from neutrino physics research.

Current Limitations

As of today, direct and rapid in-situ measurement of nuclear reactor fission activity is not possible. Our technology is expected to make this possible by using the copious neutrinos that stream out of nuclear reactors. Achieving this leap relies on the paradigm-shifting nature of our approach.

Innovative Detection Method

Detection of radiation makes extensive use of light-emitting materials known as scintillators. These are nearly always transparent, to allow the light to be seen and measured. Our radically new approach is to use an opaque scintillator, coupled with a lattice of optical fibers to extract the light.

Advantages of the New Technique

This technique naturally provides high-resolution imaging of anti-matter annihilation plus many other types of radiation (e.g., betas, gammas, neutrons), improving the signal-to-noise ratio of anti-neutrino detection by a factor >10x. Consequently, our technology would be able to tolerate the high background environment close to a reactor.

Benefits to the Civil Nuclear Industry

The civil nuclear industry will benefit in a range of ways, including:

• Safety and societal reassurance
• Operational efficiencies
• Direct economic return

Potential Applications

Our technology will also be able to provide remote monitoring and information on any nuclear processes that emit neutrinos, opening many potential new markets. Examples include:

1. Spent nuclear fuel containers
2. Fuel pools
3. Waste disposal sites
4. Nuclear warheads
5. Fusion reactors such as ITER

Consortium Expertise

Our interdisciplinary consortium pulls together experts from various fields, including:

• Mechanical and electronics engineering
• Nuclear and particle physics
• Chemistry
• Computing

We are collaborating with our major industrial partner in the civil nuclear energy industry to make this radical new technology a reality.