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DOE News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 10, 2004

NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:
INEEL Communications: John Walsh, 208-526-8646, jhw@inel.gov
INEEL Communications: Kathleen Gatens, 208-526-1058, kzc@inel.gov
Technical contact: Jeff Klinger, 208-526-0994, klinjb@inel.gov

INEEL to demonstrate Explosive Detection System

Hardly a day goes by without some news account of the devastation wrought by an explosion. Northern Ireland, Iraq, Spain or the United States - no country is immune to the fear and danger spread by terrorist bombings.

Over the past three years, scientists and engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory have been working on a practical solution to reduce threats from improvised explosives.

On Tuesday, June 15, 11:30 a.m., Laboratory engineers will demonstrate their design for a field-ready system using both real and simulated explosives at the INEEL Critical Infrastructure Test Range Complex on the desert. Media are invited to attend the demonstration. Interested media must contact INEEL Communications by 2 p.m. Monday, June 14, to allow for security arrangements and to coordinate escort to the demonstration site.

The INEEL Explosive Detection System is a nonintrusive, noncontact inspection technique that can - within 300 seconds - identify explosives hidden in a small cargo truck or similar vehicle.

The system uses neutron activation technology in a portal-type configuration. Trucks or automobiles entering a government building parking garage, military base or embassy grounds would be required to stop within the system's inspection zone. After the driver exits the vehicle, the INEEL process would begin.

Using a technique called Pulsed Thermal Neutron Analysis, the system uses high-energy neutron output to cause nuclear excitation of materials within the vehicle. The INEEL patent-pending system uses detectors to identify elements within the targeted cargo that indicate the presence of explosives. The whole process takes about five minutes and - like an X-ray taken in a dental office - it leaves no lasting radiation effects on the inspected truck, cargo or facility in which the system is installed.  

The INEEL system is quick, inexpensive and reliable, due in part to its simple, yet robust design that incorporates few moving parts that can break down. The system also monitors the health of its individual components, which allows an operator to quickly pinpoint potential problems and make adjustments. The graphical user interfaces - what the operator sees on the computer screen - are easy to understand and eliminate potential for ambiguous interpretation. The INEEL Explosive Detection System - like other INEEL technologies fielded at home and abroad - is designed for reliable operation by a technician or soldier and requires minimal training.

"An important role of national laboratories today is to mitigate threats against our citizens and our soldiers," said INEEL Laboratory Director Paul Kearns. "The INEEL has an outstanding history of developing sensors to detect chemical weapons and nuclear materials. Now we're building on that legacy of excellence to stop would-be bombers."

The INEEL is a science-based, applied engineering national laboratory dedicated to supporting the DOE's missions in energy, national security, science and the environment. It is operated for the DOE by Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC.

-INEEL-
04-045

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