A non-destructive method to determine the depth of radionuclides in materials in-situ

A non-destructive method based on in-situ gamma spectroscopy is developed to determine the depth of radiological contamination in media. An innovative algorithm, Gamma Penetration Depth Unfolding Algorithm (GPDUA), uses point kernel techniques to predict the depth of contamination based on the results of the uncollided peak information from the in-situ gamma spectroscopy. The GPDUA is designed and verified through extensive Monte Carlo simulations and validated through laboratory experiments. This innovative tool promises to be "better, faster, safer, and cheaper" than the current practice in decontamination and decommissioning. The method requires the a priori knowledge of the contaminant source distribution. The applicable radiological contaminants of interest are any isotopes that emit two or more gamma rays per disintegration or isotopes that emit a single gamma ray but have gamma-emitting progeny in secular equilibrium with its parent (e.g., 60Co, 235U, and 137Cs to name a few). The predicted depths from the GPDUA algorithm using Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code simulations and laboratory experiments using 60Co have consistently produced predicted depths within 20% of the actual or known depth.