A collimator design method for the tomographic gamma scanning system with a fan-shaped NaI(Tl) detector array

Area of Science:

• Nuclear instrumentation
• Medical imaging physics

Background:

• Tomographic gamma scanning (TGS) systems benefit from detector arrays for faster detection.
• Sodium iodide (NaI(Tl)) detectors are cost-effective and operate at room temperature, suitable for TGS.
• Collimator design is crucial for TGS image quality, affecting detection efficiency, spatial resolution, and inter-segment interference.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a collimator design method for TGS systems utilizing fan-shaped NaI(Tl) detector arrays.
• To optimize collimator parameters using Monte Carlo simulations.
• To minimize cross-interference between detector segments without compromising detection efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Developed a collimator design methodology for fan-shaped NaI(Tl) detector arrays in TGS.
• Employed Monte Carlo simulations to determine optimal collimator aperture size and shape.
• Introduced a fan-shaped shield with adjustable parameters to mitigate inter-segment interference.

Main Results:

• Simulation results provided optimal collimator aperture dimensions for the TGS system.
• The proposed fan-shaped shield effectively reduced cross-interference between detector segments.
• Detection efficiency of individual segments was maintained with the new shielding design.

Conclusions:

• The developed collimator design method is effective for TGS systems with fan-shaped NaI(Tl) detector arrays.
• Transmission image reconstruction confirmed the suitability of the designed collimator for TGS applications.
• The optimized collimator design improves overall TGS system performance by balancing resolution, efficiency, and reduced interference.