Patent Number: 051620960
Section: summary

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cavity structure for use in a nitrogen, especially in an explosive detection system. Specifically, the present invention relates to a composite cavity structure which in combination with a source of neutrons produces a cloud of thermal neutrons within the cavity to provide for a more efficient detection of the nitrogen contained in an object (such as an explosive) within the cavity. 2. Description of the Prior Art A great need exists for the scanning of luggage, baggage and other parcels for the detection of any explosive material contained or concealed within their confines. For example, a large number such as close to two million (2,000,000) pieces of luggage are checked and/or carried onto aircraft daily by close to seven hundred and fifty thousand (750,000) passengers within six hundred (600) airports extending across the country. There is a possibility, albeit remote, that any one piece of luggage or parcel may contain explosive material. It is, therefore, desirable to protect the public by providing detection systems to scan luggage and parcels to detect the presence of any explosive material. Co-pending application Ser. No. 053,950 filed by Tsani Gozani and Patrick M. Shea on May 26, 1987 (now abandoned in favor of continuation Ser. No. 321,511 and filed Mar. 9, 1989) for "Explosive Detection System" and assigned to the same assignee of the present application, is directed to an overall detection system to provide for the checking of luggage or parcels for explosives with a high probability of detection and a low probability of false alarms. It is appreciated that any system should have a high probability of detection in order to be effective. It is also appreciated that any detection system, because of the large number of passengers, is bound to occasionally give a false alarm. The probability of these false alarms must be minimized in order to provide for an effective explosive detection system. This is true, because when an alarm occurs it is not known at that time whether is it proper or false. This means that each time an alarm occurs a passenger may be detained for further investigation. If false alarms are significantly high, the nuisance level and the delays can be unacceptable to passengers. It is, therefore, important that any explosive detection system should have a very high probability of detection and yet at the same time have a very low probability of false alarms. These conflicting criteria have hampered efforts in the past to build a reliable and usable system. The prior art systems have not had the desired characteristics of having a high probability of detection with a low probability of false alarms. As an example, one such prior art system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,545. This patent provides for a system for the detection of nitrogen which is generally present in the explosive materials to be detected. The object under observation is positioned within a cavity structure and is bombarded by thermal neutrons. The thermal neutrons react with any nitrogen contained in the object to provide for the emission of gamma rays at an energy level characteristic of the presence of nitrogen. The emitted gamma rays are then detected by an array of gamma ray detectors. The prior art U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,545 specifically provides for the use of liquid and plastic type organic scintillator detectors. These detectors are provided in an array to produce a two dimensional profile of the nitrogen content within the object being inspected. Co-pending application Ser. No. 053,950 filed by Tsahi Gozani and Patrick M. Shea on May 26, 1987 (now abandoned in favor of continuation Ser. No. 321,511 filed Mar. 9, 1989) for "Explosive Detection System" and assigned of record to the assignee of record of this application discloses and claims a system which is more effective than the system of U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,545. The system of co-pending application Ser. No. 321,511, provides for the use of inorganic scintillators as detectors. These inorganic detectors are formed as a C-ring so as to provide for a detection of a slice or plane of the object under inspection. The object is moved continuously through the C-ring of detectors so as to provide for a plurality of slices or parallel successive planes. The parallel successive planes may then be used to build a three dimensional profile of the concentration of the nitrogen contained within the object under inspection. The composite cavity structure of the present invention may be used with either the prior art organic scintillators in an array or the C-ring array of inorganic scintillators shown in the co-pending application. However, the present invention is described with reference to the use of the C-ring array of inorganic scintillators of the co-pending application. The detection of the explosive should be independent of the specific configuration and must be non-intrusive in order to protect privacy. The detection equipment, of course, must be non-hazardous to the contents of the checked items and to the operating personnel and environment. Other more general criteria are that the system must be reliable, easily maintained and operable by relatively unskilled personnel and that the cost must be low enough so as to be non-burdensome to airlines and airports. Finally, the size of the system must be relatively small so that the system may be useful in a wide variety of environments. In order to develop a proper explosive detection system, an understanding of the properties of the various explosives are relevant to the specific techniques to be used. Although there are a large number of explosive types, a general classification into six major groups with minor variations, has been proposed. The proposed classification scheme includes the following types of explosives: (1) nitroglycerine based dynamites, (2) ammonium nitrate based dynamites, (3) military explosives, (4) homemade explosives, (5) low order powders, and (6) special purpose explosives. In general, all of these explosives contain a relatively high amount of nitrogen concentration ranging from nine to thirty five percent by weight and with a normal concentration range between fifteen to thirty five percent with twenty percent as a typical value. The nominal density of these explosives is typically 1.6 g/cm.sup.3 and with a range from 1.25 to 2 g/cm.sup.3 or more. These physical properties demonstrate that the most unique signature of explosives is the high concentration and density of the nitrogen content. In can be seen, therefore, that a nuclear detection technique can provide for the detection of the nitrogen content to reliably indicate the presence of a large nitrogen content. However, the universal occurence of nitrogen in non-explosive materials limits the level of detection sensitivity and merely detecting the presence or absence of nitrogen alone is not sufficient. Therefore, additional information is required beyond simply sensing the presence of the nitrogen. The present invention provides for a composite cavity structure which enhances the production of this additional information using specific structures and materials for the cavity. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The basis for the explosive detection system incorporating the composite cavity structure of the present invention is the use of neutrons from a radioisotope or an electronic neutron generator, which neutrons are then slowed down within the cavity structure to create a cloud of low energy thermal neutrons within the cavity structure. The luggage or other parcels are passed through the cavity and the thermal neutrons react with the variety of nuclei in the luggage or parcels including nitrogen and produce characteristic high energy gamma rays which may then be detected by external detectors. The output signals from the detectors may then be analyzed to detect the presence and concentration of the nitrogen content and with particular concentrations in particular profiles indicating the presence of explosive material. The present invention relates to the specific structure of the cavity so as to maximize the production and spectrum of the thermal neutrons and so as to provide for an enhancement of the information from the detectors. The specific cavity structure may include the use of different layers of particular moderator materials so as to slow down fast neutrons produced by the source of neutrons. The various moderators affect different portions of the spectrum of neutrons initially produced by the source of neutrons to slow down these different portions of the spectrum to maximize the number of thermal neutrons within the cavity. In the specific arrangement of the cavity structure of the present invention, the source of neutrons is surrounded by a moderator material, such as heavy water, which slows down any neutrons having a speed in the portion of the spectrum above the energy of thermal neutrons and thereby slows down these neutrons into the thermal neutron portion of the spectrum. A premoderator material may surround the source of neutrons to slow down a portion of the spectrum and assist the heavy water modulator to further slow down the neutrons to the thermal neutron portion of the spectrum. The premoderator may be formed of nonchlorinated hydrocarbon material such as polyethylene or acrylic resin. The source of neutrons may also be surrounded by a shield, such as a shield composed of a heavy metal such as bismuth, lead, tungsten, depleted uranium, etc. This shield is specifically used to absorb unwanted gamma rays that may be produced from the source. These unwanted gamma rays can hamper the performance of the system, so it is important to absorb any of these unwanted gamma rays that are along a direct line from the radiation or neutron source to the detectors. The source of neutrons, plus the premoderator, heavy water and heavy metal shield, is located immediately adjacent a cavity opening through which the luggage or baggage is passed. The cavity opening is defined by hydrogenous material such as thin rigid nonclorinated hydrocarbon material. This thin rigid material may be thin sheets of polyethylene or acrylic which provide for low friction walls to guide the luggage, baggage, etc. through the passageway. The thin plastic walls will reflect the neutrons so that the thermal neutrons cloud will be contained within the cavity structure to interact with the object under observation. Surrounding the cavity opening formed by the sheets of thin hydrogenous material are other moderator materials which moderate higher energy neutrons and slow down these higher energy neutrons while at the same time reflecting them back within the cavity opening. This additional material may include a first mass of carbonaceous material such as graphite which as indicated above, tends to slow down higher energy neutrons. The carbonaceous material also has the effect of making the flux spectrum of the neutrons more uniform. Surrounding the carbonaceous material are additional layers of moderator-absorbing material such as a layer of hydrogenous material, with boron or lithium embedded material. As an example, the embedded material may be borated paraffin and may be used to absorb any neutrons moving from the cavity volume. At the same time the borated paraffin may slow down some of the high energy neutrons and reflect them back for moderation by the graphite material and for ultimate return within the cavity opening. As an alternative to the use of borated paraffin, other hydrogenous materials, such as acrylic resin, polyethylene, water etc. mixed with boron or lithium compounds may be used. The borated paraffin is preferred since it is the effective, relatively inexpensive and compact. In addition to the use of the various moderator materials to provide for an enhancement of the thermal neutrons and also to provide for a desirable spectrum of the neutrons, it is also important to insure that the detectors receive the gamma rays of interest but do not receive undesired neutrons. This is accomplished by shielding the sides of the detectors with a heavy metal shield material, such as lead etc. and providing for a window at the front of the detectors to stop neutrons while allowing the passage of gamma rays. This window may be constructed of an epoxy material, such as an epoxy containing boron or lithium compounds. As an example, the window may be formed of boron carbide embedded in epoxy. The cavity structure of the present invention thereby includes a cavity opening defined by the thin rigid hydrocarbon walls for receiving the passage of objects under inspection. A source of neutrons is located adjacent this cavity opening and detection means are also located adjacent the cavity opening. The detection means are protected by lead shields and boron carbide epoxy windows to insure that the detection means receive the proper gamma rays representative of the concentration of nitrogen contained in the object under observation. The composite cavity structure also includes a number of layers of moderator material to maximize the cloud of thermal neutrons within the cavity opening and to enhance the spectrum of the neutrons within the cavity opening to optimize the production of gamma rays from any nitrogen within the object under inspection. The additional moderator materials include polyethylene, heavy water, graphite and borated paraffin and also with the use of a shield composed of bismuth. This chamber structure provides for an enhanced operation of a detection system as disclosed in the co-pending application referred to above, but the composite cavity structure may also be used to enhance the detection of nitrogen in other types of detection systems. The composite cavity structure also includes a provision for a conveyor belt or other means to transport luggage and packages through the cavity. The belt is constructed of non-chlorinated, non-metallic materials, of which there are several.