RadSci Consultancy
Updated: 9th August 2023
Published papers in Neutron Radiography/Tomography/Imaging
ITEMS OF INTEREST
The first full conference on Neutron Radiography was held at the University of Birmingham, U.K. in 1973
RAF St. Athan, South Wales
On the 23rd February 2012, a VC10 was the last aircraft to have completed its maintenance at RAF St. Athan before the airforce station was finally shut down, ending 75 years of maintenance.
In the 1990s, a neutron radiography system using a superconducting cyclotron as a source was built in a large collaborative project by British industry. The RAF at St. Athan was seen as a potential user and a large number of test objects were provided by the RAF for evaluation with thermal neutron radiography, including highly corroded panels removed from different fighters, bombers and transport aircraft. One of the panels was from a RAF VC10 transport.
See this and news of Shakespeare's Coriolanus performed in one of the old hangars.
Neutron Radiography Applications
Neutron radiography is being routinely used in a number of industrial applications. However, there are many branches of science and technology that have obtained unique information using this non-destructive technique. A comprehensive list of application areas is given from a survey of published papers on NR.
The first neutron radiography video of an operating aero-engine
At the 1st World Conference on Neutron Radiography held in California in 1981, Peter Stewart (Rolls-Royce plc) reported on the first neutron video imaging of an operating aero-engine (the Gem helicopter engine) that had been achieved in 1975. These tests were carried out on the DIDO 26MW Material Testing Reactor at AERE Harwell using a single stage image intensifier coupled to a sensitive camera and viewing a gadolinium oxy-sulphide scintillation screen.
Prof. Peter Stewart
Head of Advanced Projects Dept - 1975 to 1993
Rolls-Royce plc
Bristol, U.K.
Reference: "Aero Engine Applications of Cold Neutron Fluoroscopy at Rolls-Royce Limited"
PAE Stewart, Rolls-Royce Ltd, Bristol, U.K.
Editors: JP Barton and P Von der Hardt, Neutron Radiography Proceedings of the First World Conference, San Diego, California, U.S.A., Reidel Publishing Co., Holland, 1982.
Early cold neutron imaging of automobile engines
Reference: "Cold Neutron Fluoroscopy of Operating Automobile Engines" PAE Stewart and J. Heritage.
Editors: JP Barton and P Von der Hardt, Neutron Radiography Proceedings of the First World Conference, San Diego, California, U.S.A., Reidel Publishing Co., Holland, 1982.
This paper, presented at the 1st World Conference on Neutron Radiography in 1981 by Peter Stewart and John Heritage, demonstrated the Thomson neutron-sensitive image multiplier tube used to obtain video image sequences of the engine in operation. The tests were carried out on the Dido Reactor at Harwell in 1979 on the cold neutron beam-line. The figure shows the aluminium engine (from a Hillman Imp) drained of oil as the first reference image.
WCNR-9 World Conference on Neutron Radiography in Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa in 2010
The Big 5 Conference in South Africa
The latest conference proceedings has just arrived in the post - an excellently produced volume published by Elsevier as a Nuclear Instruments and Methods issue.
Congratulations to Frikkie, for all the hard work in organising the conference and in getting the proceedings issued. We will have lasting memories of our time in Kwa-Maritane, of everyone's friendliness and desire to show us the beauty and traditions of South Africa.
International Topical Meeting on Neutron Radiography (ITMNR-7)
The 7th International Topical Meeting on Neutron Radiography (ITMNR-7) was held in the picturesque city of Kingston on the northern edge of Lake Ontario, Canada from 16th to 24th June 2012.
Amongst research topics discussed were: flow visualisation in supercritical water, multiphase flow modelling in porous media and condensation in polymer electrolytic fuel cells.
There was also considerable interest in the development of accelerator-based neutron sources for NR work.
Thanks to Les Bennett, Paul Hungler and their team for the enjoyable time we all had.
John's presentation on 80 years from the discovery of the neutron can be viewed below.
Stereo Images
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter uses a high resolution camera to obtain pairs of photographs of the moon's surface that are then combined to produce anaglyph stereo images.