Patent · US Expired

Waste inspection tomography and non-destructive assay

US6624425B2 · kind B2 · utility

24Cited by
3References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 3, 2001
Grant dateSep 23, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 23, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2223/419
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for assaying a waste container. The method includes the steps of forming a plurality of slices through a volume of the waste container, performing a relatively fast passive prescan to measure a level of radioactivity of each of the plurality of slices and identifying at least some slices of the plurality of slices having a relatively high level of radioactivity. In addition, the method includes the steps for performing a relatively fast active prescan of the drum to determine the average attenuation of the plurality of slices. The method further includes the steps of determining an passive assay time for the identified slices based upon the measured radioactivity and average attenuation and performing relatively slow passive and active CT scans of the identified slices based upon the determined passive and active CT assay time to quantify a source of the measured radioactivity by weight.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.