KEYWORDS: Liquids, Acoustics, Signal attenuation, Ultrasonics, Temperature metrology, Transducers, Distance measurement, Signal to noise ratio, Inspection, Explosives
Work at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has demonstrated that ultrasonic property measurements
can be effectively employed for the rapid and accurate classification/discrimination of liquids in small, carry-on,
standard "stream-of-commerce" containers. This paper focuses on a set of laboratory measurements
acquired with the PNNL prototype device as applied to several types of liquids (including threat liquids and
precursor chemicals) to the manufacture of LEs in small commercially available plastic containers.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Cameras, Light sources and illumination, Optical character recognition, Wireless communications, Inspection, Nuclear radiation detection, Weapons of mass destruction, Information visualization, Visualization
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the primary enforcement agency protecting the nation’s ports of entry. CBP is enhancing its capability to interdict the illicit import of nuclear and radiological materials and devices that may be used by terrorists. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is providing scientific and technical support to CBP in their goal to enable rapid deployment of nuclear and radiation detection systems at U. S. ports of entry to monitor 100% of the incoming international traffic and cargo while not adversely impacting the operations or throughput of the ports. The U.S. ports of entry include the following vectors: land border crossings, seaports, airports, rail crossings, and mail and express consignment courier facilities.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) determined that a screening solution was needed for Seaport cargo containers being transported by Straddle Carriers (straddle carriers). A stationary Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) for Straddle Carriers (SCRPM) is needed so that cargo containers can be scanned while in transit under a Straddle Carrier. The Straddle Carrier Portal operational impacts were minimized by conducting a time-motion study at the Port, and adaptation of a Remotely Operated RPM (RO-RPM) booth concept that uses logical lighting schemes for traffic control, cameras, Optical Character Recognition, and wireless technology.
This paper describes the basic configuration for a visual identification system (VIS) for Homeland Security and law enforcement support. Security and law enforcement systems with an integrated VIS will accurately and rapidly provide identification of vehicles or containers that have entered, exited or passed through a specific monitoring location. The VIS system stores all images and makes them available for recall for approximately one week. Images of alarming vehicles will be archived indefinitely as part of the alarming vehicle’s or cargo container’s record. Depending on user needs, the digital imaging information will be provided electronically to the individual inspectors, supervisors, and/or control center at the customer’s office. The key components of the VIS are the high-resolution cameras that capture images of vehicles, lights, presence sensors, image cataloging software, and image recognition software. In addition to the cameras, the physical integration and network communications of the VIS components with the balance of the security system and client must be ensured.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the primary enforcement agency protecting the nation’s ports of entry. CBP is enhancing its capability to interdict the illicit import of nuclear and radiological materials and devices that may be used by terrorists. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is providing scientific and technical support to CBP in their goal to enable rapid deployment of nuclear and radiation detection systems at U. S. ports of entry to monitor 100% of the incoming international traffic and cargo while not adversely impacting the operations or throughput of the ports.
As the deployment of radiation detection systems proceeds, there is a need to adapt the baseline radiation portal monitor (RPM) system technology to operations at these diverse ports of entry. When screening produces an alarm in the primary inspection RPM, the alarming vehicle is removed from the flow of commerce and the alarm is typically confirmed in a secondary inspection RPM. The portable source identification device (PSID) is a radiation sensor panel (RSP), based on thallium-doped sodium iodide (NaI(Tl)) scintillation detector and gamma spectroscopic analysis hardware and software, mounted on a scissor lift on a small truck. The lift supports a box containing a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) sodium iodide detector that provides real-time isotopic identification, including neutron detectors to interdict Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and radiation dispersion devices (RDD). The scissor lift will lower the detectors to within a foot off the ground and raise them to approximately 24 feet (7.3 m) in the air, allowing a wide vertical scanning range.
The inspection of sealed containers is a critical task for personnel charged with enforcing government policies, maintaining public safety, and ensuring national security. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has developed a portable, handheld acoustic inspection device (AID) that provides non-invasive container interrogation and material identification capabilities. The AID technology has been deployed worldwide and user’s are providing feedback and requesting additional capabilities and functionality. Recently, PNNL has developed a laboratory-based system for automated, ultrasonic characterization of fluids to support database development for the AID. Using pulse-echo ultrasound, ultrasonic pulses are launched into a container or bulk-solid commodity. The return echoes from these pulses are analyzed in terms of time-of-flight and frequency content (as a function of temperature) to extract physical property measurements (acoustic velocity and attenuation) of the material under test. These measured values are then compared to a tailored database of materials and fluids property data acquired using the Velocity-Attenuation Measurement System (VAMS). This bench-top platform acquires key ultrasonic property measurements as a function of temperature and frequency. This paper describes the technical basis for operation of the VAMS, recent enhancements to the measurement algorithms for both the VAMS and AID technologies, and new measurement data from laboratory testing and performance demonstration activities. Applications for homeland security and counterterrorism, law enforcement, drug-interdiction and fuel transportation compliance activities will be discussed.
KEYWORDS: Acoustics, Signal attenuation, Inspection, Ultrasonics, Velocity measurements, Transducers, Personal digital assistants, Liquids, Temperature metrology, Solids
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has developed a portable, battery-operated, handheld ultrasonic device that provides non-invasive container interrogation and material identification capabilities. The technique governing how the acoustic inspection device (AID) functions, involves measurements of ultrasonic pulses (0.1 to 5 MHz) that are launched into a container or material. The return echoes from these pulses are analyzed in terms of time-of-flight and frequency content to extract physical property measurements (the acoustic velocity and attenuation coefficient) of the material under test. The AID performs an automated analysis of the return echoes to identify the material, and detect contraband in the form of submerged packages and concealed compartments in liquid filled containers and solid-form commodities. An inspector can quickly interrogate outwardly innocuous commodity items such as shipping barrels, tanker trucks, and metal ingots. The AID can interrogate container sizes ranging from approximately 6 inches in diameter to over 96 inches in diameter and allows the inspector to sort liquid and material types into groups of like and unlike; a powerful method for discovering corrupted materials or miss-marked containers co-mingled in large shipments. This manuscript describes the functionality, capabilities and measurement methodology of the technology as it relates to homeland security applications.
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