Characterization of a Fiber Optic Radiation Sensor Prototype for Nuclear Dismantling

The use of an active measurement system to localize contamination in concrete structures of nuclear facilities offers advantages such as an easy on-site analysis within a short measurement time. A measuring system based on a scintillation crystal connected to a long optical fiber with a large diameter could satisfy the demands of a measuring system for gamma-ray spectroscopy in boreholes. This work describes the development of a gamma-ray spectroscopy system using a fiber optic radiation sensor. A prototype was built with a GAGG scintillation crystal, which could reach an energy resolution of 33% at the 662-keV gamma-ray emission energy of 137 Cs. A minimal time for the detection of a contamination of a 137 Cs source with an activity of 21 kBq and a layer of 6-cm concrete between sensor and radiation source was determined to be under 1 min with three different evaluation methods. They were based on the decision threshold and the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test corresponding to the energy distribution and the distribution of time differences between detector events. In addition, it was possible to estimate the distance of a point-like source from the sensor by establishing a further analysis parameter comparing different energy regions of a spectrum.