General Electric Company

Keymaster Technologies, Inc.

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Bruce J Kaiser

Fred C Schoenig

Carl P Ruiz

William Masaitis

Robert D Kuhlman

Frank S Moore, Jr

Harry F Schramm, Jr

Oliver James Groves

Edward S Walker

George W Tunnell

David J Oakley

David Justin Watson

Alfred J Zeits

Gerhard A Meyer

Therese Howe

Dan Schoepflin

Don Kenning

Lloyd Starks

Robert Shannon

Fred Schramm

Ken Wheeler

Apparatus and methods in which one or more elemental taggants that are intrinsically located in an object are detected by x-ray fluorescence analysis under vacuum conditions to identify or verify the object's elemental content for elements with lower atomic numbers. By using x-ray fluorescence analysis, the apparatus and methods of the invention are simple and easy to use, as well as provide detection by a non line-of-sight method to establish the origin of objects, as well as their point of manufacture, authenticity, verification, security, and the presence of impurities. The invention is extremely advantageous because it provides the capability to measure lower atomic number elements in the field with a portable instrument.

Methods for identification and verification using vacuum XRF system

Apparatus and methods in which one or more elemental taggants that are extrinsically placed in an object are detected by x-ray fluorescence analysis to identify or authenticate the object are described. The taggant is manufactured as part of the object or the taggant is placed into a coating, packaging, label, or otherwise embedded onto the object for the purpose of later verifying the presence or absence of these elements by x-ray fluorescence. The taggant is then analyzed by XRF and the analysis is then converted into a 2D symbol format that can be used in various security and authentication applications. By using x-ray fluorescence analysis, the apparatus and methods of the invention are simple and easy to use, without the limitations experience by current anti-counterfeiting technologies.

Methods for identification and verification using digital equivalent data system

Secure documents and methods and apparatus for making the same. The documents are made secure using apparatus and methods in which one or more taggants are placed in the paper or ink of the document. The present or absence of the taggant within the document is detected by x-ray fluorescence analysis, thereby identifying or verifying the document.

Methods for identification and verification

An apparatus and method in which one or more taggants that are intrinsically located&mdash;or extrinsically placed&mdash;in an article or product, such as carpet. The taggants are detected by x-ray fluorescence analysis to identify or verify the article or its point of manufacture. The taggants are manufactured as part of the article or the taggant is placed into a coating, label, or otherwise embedded within the article for the purpose of later verifying the presence or absence of these elements by x-ray fluorescence, thus determining the unique elemental composition of the taggant within the article.

Both gadolinia nuclear fuel rods and urania fuel rods are non-destructively tested to determine the enrichment concentration of the fuel pellets therein by serially conveying the gadolinia rods and the urania rod along separate test channels through an active scanner where they are irradiated from a common neutron souce, and the neutron-induced gamma ray emissions are counted as a measure of the enrichment concentrations at a multiplicity of points distributed along the rod length. The enrichment counts are corrected for background radiation, variations in fuel density, and, in the case of gadolinia rods, for gadolinia content by passing these rods through a magnetometer.

Non-destructive testing of nuclear fuel rods

Both gadolinia nuclear fuel rods and urania fuel rods are non-destructively tested to determine the enrichment concentration of the fuel pellets therein by serially conveying the gadolinia rods and the urania rod along separate test channels through an active scanner where they are irradiated from a common neutron source, and the neutron-induced gamma ray emissions are counted as a measure of the enrichment concentrations at a multiplicity of points distributed along the rod length. The enrichment counts are corrected for background radiation, variations in fuel density, and, in the case of gadolinia rods, for gadolinia content by passing these rods through a magnetometer.

An apparatus using X-ray fluorescence for gauging the thickness of a zirconium barrier layer on the interior surface of a zirconium alloy nuclear fuel tube is disclosed. A gamma radiation source coaxially positioned in the tube emits gamma rays which excite K-alpha and K-beta Sn X-ray in the zirconium alloy substrate. Fluorescent X-rays passing back through the barrier layer are detected by an X-ray detector coaxially positioned in the tube. Attenuation of the exciting gamma rays and the fluorescent X-rays by the barrier layer is used to determine barrier layer thickness.

Fuel tube barrier gauge

A monitor for detecting airborne radioactive particulates is disclosed. An elongate strip of filter paper is fed across first and second air inlet ports of a collection chamber. Ambient air is selectively drawn into the chamber through a selected one of the inlet ports and out an through outlet port. Particulates trapped on an area of the filter paper in alignment with the open inlet port are detected after advancing the strip area into alignment with the closed inlet port. A radiation detector mounted on a movable arm is selectively positioned over the closed inlet port to detect the trapped radioactive particulates, while a new sample is collected at the open inlet port. Exposure of the detector surface to corrosive materials is avoided and the detector can be positioned close to the filter strip to maximize counting efficiency and energy resolution. A microprocessor controls the functions of the monitor and allows continuous unattended operation.

Monitor for airborne radioactive particles

Disclosed is an alpha monitor usable in an automated nuclear fuel pin loading and processing unit. Fuel pins or other elongated pins are fed laterally into the alpha monitor in a singular fashion and are translated by a first roller assembly into a weld flare machining and decontamination substation not forming a part of the invention. Pins return and are lifted upwardly and transferred across to a combined pin lifting and electrode operating means which lifts the pins upwardly into a clamshell electrode assembly which is spread open by a combined pin lifting and electrode operating means. Once inserted the clamshell type electrode arrangement closes around the fuel pins so that inspection can occur. Fuel pins are inspected by charging electrodes to a negative potential and measuring the change in charge occurring when positively charged alpha particles strike the negatively charged electrodes. After inspection, the fuel pins are lowered by the pin lifting and electrode operating means into a second roller assembly which longitudinally conveys approved pins from the airtight enclosure in which the alpha monitor is mounted. If the fuel pins are rejected then they are moved laterally by a second transfer means and onto another system for further processing.

Apparatus for inspecting fuel elements

An electronic circuit provides various accurate counts of detected neutrons to enable the assaying of fissile material in a neutron emitting radioactive source. The circuit develops a time correlated window associated with each detected neutron, and delays these windows to develop uncorrelated windows. These windows are used to develop separate detected neutron counts which distinguish between time correlated fission neutron detections and time uncorrelated singular neutron detections. The circuit also develops a count of all detected neutrons.

Growing community of inventors

Wilmington, NC, United States of America

Bruce J Kaiser