One-sided muon tomography - A portable method for imaging critical infrastructure with a single muon detector

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that a single portable muon detector, combined with nuclear medicine image reconstruction techniques, can effectively produce 3D images of the interior of critical infrastructure like nuclear reactors.

Contribution

It introduces a novel one-sided muon tomography method using a portable detector and adapted image reconstruction for imaging large structures.

Findings

Successfully reconstructed nuclear fuel configurations within a reactor core.

Modeling and measurements show feasibility of single-detector muon imaging.

Potential application in inspecting large critical facilities like nuclear power plants.

Abstract

High-energy muons generated from cosmic-ray particle showers have been shown to exhibit properties ideal for imaging the interior of large structures. This paper explores the possibility of using a single portable muon detector in conjunction with image reconstruction methods used in nuclear medicine to reconstruct a 3D image of the interior of critical infrastructure such as the Zero Energy Deuterium (ZED-2) research reactor at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories' Chalk River site. The ZED-2 reactor core and muon detector arrangement are modeled in GEANT4 and Monte Carlo measurements of the resultant muon throughput and angular distribution at several angles of rotation around the reactor are generated. Statistical analysis is then performed on these measurements based on the well-defined flux and angular distribution of muons expected near the surface of the earth. The results of this analysis are shown to produce reconstructed images of the spatial distribution of nuclear fuel within the core for multiple fuel configurations. This one-sided tomography concept is a possible candidate for examining the internal structure of larger critical facilities, for example the Fukushima Daiichi power plant where the integrity of the containment infrastructure and the location of the reactor fuel is unknown.