Detector characterization for quantitative spectral radiography of uranium powder samples

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 2020-02, Vol.954 (C), p.161413, Article 161413
• Main Authors: Kasparek, D.M., McDonald, B.S., Gilbert, A.J., Wittman, R.S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cadmium telluride; Material estimation; Pixelated detector; Spectral X-ray radiography
• ISSN: 0168-9002; 1872-9576
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2018.10.091

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is responsible for verifying the mass of elemental uranium in various forms (powders, pellets, scrap) as part of inspections at nuclear fuel fabrication facilities. Current methods require in-field dissolution chemistry, which is time consuming and imposes operational challenges. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing a prototype spectral x-ray radiography (SpecX) nondestructive assay system for noninvasive material mass quantification of uranium-bearing powders. The SpecX system uses a custom material estimation algorithm, which requires a high-fidelity pixel-by-pixel detector response model for accurate quantification. We performed a detailed characterization and built a model of a High-Energy X-ray Imaging Technology (HEXITEC) CdTe pixelated spectral detector. Here we present the detector characterization which led to that model, including a determination of the pixel-wise energy calibration, the detection efficiency, the detector uniformity, the detector stability, and a comparison of methods to remove charge-shared events.