Advanced Neutron Radiographic Equipment within the US Army

Neutron radiography (NR) is a unique inspection method that can inspect for complex part placements, inclusions of organic materials, and numerous other conditions that no other method is able to detect. It is a complimentary inspection with standard radiography using x-rays or gamma rays and increases the information known about a given item. However with the addition of so many new plastic, synthetic, and composite materials, standard radiography alone is not enough to cover every inspection requirement. The academic world has been progressing in perfecting reactors and research accelerators (spallation sources) to produce high purity beams and build digital neutron detection. However, most of it is only applicable for scientific purposes. Direct application for industrial use of NR is limited to only a few facilities across the country and still requires the use of conventional film. Availability, overall costs, and logistics of onsite energetic storage have also limited the use of NR in the defense sector. This is why the US Army has been in development of technology that brings high output electronic neutron sources into realization. This paper discusses new advances in generator technology that allow small devices to have outputs that are viable for shorten exposure times comparable to reactors and accelerators. Initial base line tests show what current commercial systems can and cannot do, and recent progress made using these advance NR systems is provided. The Path to Bridging the Gap for Practical NR System